Scholarship aids residents’ return to college, decades later

After putting school on hold for more than a decade, two Las Vegas residents are returning to a virtual classroom in hopes of enhancing their marketability in the workforce.

The women were offered a full-tuition scholarship created by Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and the University of Phoenix.

The Focus to Finish Scholarship program was created to give people a chance to go back to school and earn a bachelor’s or master’s degree.

“I know earning a degree isn’t easy, especially later in life when you have other obligations to your job and to your family,” Fitzgerald said in a recent press release. “That’s why I’m excited to be a part of this scholarship program that helps those who have realized, just like I did, the importance of finishing what you start by completing their college degree.”

Rachel Stein, 42, is returning to the classroom after putting her education on hold for 22 years.

“When I was younger, I was accepted to New York University, but I didn’t know how to apply for student loans or financial aid, and I couldn’t afford it,” Stein said. “I have three children now, and if it wasn’t for this scholarship, I wouldn’t be able to go back to school.”

The northwest resident is a legal secretary at a local law firm and hopes that pursing her bachelor’s degree in English will help her achieve her career goal of becoming an attorney or paralegal.

“This scholarship is going to open a lot of doors, and even if it doesn’t, it’s a personal accomplishment,” Stein said.

Similarly to Stein, east valley resident Julie Shive, 36, put her educational goals on hold for more than a decade.

“After my first semester of college, my husband and I had our first son, and I decided to stay home,” Shive said. “We had three more boys and a little girl, and I’ve been a stay-at-home mom ever since, but I’ve always wanted to become a teacher.”

Shive spent the last 16 years home schooling her five children.

She is hoping the opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree in education will give her the chance to take what she’s learned through teaching her own children as well as what she will learn as a student to cultivate a love of learning among students outside of her family.

She found out about the scholarship two days before the application was due in December and saw it as a chance to kick-start her career.

“This scholarship is giving my family a huge gift because I wouldn’t be able to do this right now without the (financial help),” Shive said. “Now I get to focus on my education. I’m one of those rare people who love school and miss learning. This is a really exciting opportunity for me.”

Fifty-one full-tuition scholarships worth $2.2 million were awarded around the country.

Applicants were selected on the basis that they must have started, but not graduated, with an undergraduate or master’s degree program at any accredited college or university and must have been out of attendance at any college or university since Aug. 12, 2013.

In addition, they were required to submit three essays.

“There are many individuals that start school, but life just gets in the way,” said Paul Green, University of Phoenix Las Vegas campus vice president. “Becoming a mom or getting a full-time job changes things, and people tend to put school on the back burner. We want to help those individuals return back to school and reach their lifelong goals. We see this as an investment in the Las Vegas community.”

Contact North View reporter Sandy Lopez at slopez@viewnews.com or 702-383-4686. Find her on Twitter: @JournalismSandy.