Long Beach Resident Receives a Full-Tuition Online Degree Scholarship from Ashworth College

Nov. 29, 2009 - PRLog -- NORCROSS, Georgia – Ashworth College today announced that Lindsay Beck, a resident of Long Beach, CA, is the recipient of a full-tuition scholarship, to pursue her degree online. Beck’s essay, where she shared her personal story and aspiration to attain a higher education to improve her life, was selected from the close to 300,000 applicants applying for an eLearners.com Career Stimulus Package Scholarship.

Driven to make significant changes in her life, Beck, a proud mother of a two year old daughter, has overcome many obstacles in order to provide for her young family. She plans to pursue a Professional Forensic Science Program at Ashworth College.

“Education is the most important thing I need to obtain in my life,” Beck said. I fear that if I don’t return to school and prepare myself for a career, my daughter could loose her focus and grow up to repeat my mistakes.”

“My mother had some college education but, as a single mom, was forced to leave school because she wasn’t able to support me. I am determined to break the cycle,” she explained. “So many drop out, walk away, or loose focus on their education simply because they can afford to do so. I can’t allow that to happen to me and my family.”

Being a role model is important to Beck. In addition to instilling the importance of education in her young daughter, she is also setting another example to family and friends – her personal quest to overcome a family history of obesity. “This condition has plagued my family for generations,” she explained. “As a single parent without any immediate family support, it was just one more burden for me to carry on my shoulders.”

“I’m proud of my success. I have lost enough weight to cure me from being a diabetic. My daughter’s father lives with us now.  We practice good eating habits; exercise and we’re both committed to make the best life possible for our daughter and ourselves. Now that I will be going back to school, our future is definitely looking brighter.”

The Career Stimulus Package $4 million scholarship campaign was designed to highlight the need for financial aid and promote awareness and interest in online higher education.  It also helped give people the confidence they need to pursue a degree and the career they want, even in this tough economy.  The Career Stimulus Package campaign received about 100,000 applications a month from adults who expressed interest in returning to school.  To apply for a scholarship, applicants had to explain why they want to go back to school, what they hope to accomplish, how online education would help them accomplish those goals, and their personal stories of triumph over adversity.  

“Participating in the Career Stimulus Package Scholarship Campaign has been a positive experience for Ashworth College,” said F. Milton Miller, Ed.D. and Ashworth Vice President, Education. “It’s a great opportunity, through education, to help deserving, hard-working adults make a positive impact in their lives.”

“With the current economic climate, it is essential to have the greatest competitive advantage possible,” Miller added. “Having a college degree or advanced training can set an employee or job seeker apart -- demonstrating business knowledge to peers, potential customers and current or future employers.”

In addition to the scholarship for Beck, Ashworth College granted an additional 29 scholarships.  In total, the Career Stimulus Package campaign awarded more than 100 full-tuition scholarships to deserving adults, with the help of eight accredited online schools.  

“Thanks to the incredible generosity of our partner schools, adults are able to go back to school without having to worry about how they are  going to fund their education,” said Terrence Thomas, Executive Vice President of Marketing for eLearners.com.  “Adults are often a forgotten population when it comes to financial aid.  We hear from people over and over that they want to go back to school, but can’t afford it.  This campaign helped eliminate one huge roadblock for these individuals.”  

The Career Stimulus Package campaign also included a nationwide RV tour which traveled across the country from June to September 2009, offering free career coaching.  Nearly 1,000 people took part in the career coaching, which led to the creation of a free book of wisdom based on the most common questions asked from the road.  That book can be found at http://www.careerstimulus.com.

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About Ashworth College

Ashworth College, a leader in distance education, offers students worldwide more than 100 career-focused High School and Career online diploma programs; undergraduate and graduate online certificate programs; and Associate, Bachelor’s and Master’s online degree programs that are affordable and fit the busy schedules of working adults. Ashworth also offers specialized programs to corporate partners, active duty military personnel, military spouses, and homeschoolers.

Headquartered in Norcross, GA, Ashworth is accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), a division of the US Department of Education. Ashworth High School is also accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI). For more information visit AshworthCollege.edu.