Edison International presented the College of the Sequoias with a $25,000 investment in the STEM Scholarship Program. STEM stands for the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields of study offered by the COS. Graduates from these fields are often recruited for employment opportunities within Edison International. COS students continuing at COS or transferring to four-year college and majoring in one of these fields of study are the intended recipients of this annual scholarship. The awards, ranging from $1,000 to $4,000 per student, will be announced in May of 2015.
“Edison International continues to be a leader in the local business community when it comes to making investments in the Central Valley’s future labor force,” said Tim Foster, COS Foundation director. “These scholarships have allowed students not only to continue their studies, but also expanded their choices of where they earn their degree.”
“We at Edison International are impressed with the caliber of COS students studying STEM courses and pursuing related careers” said Bill DeLain, Southern California Edison region manager, local public affairs. “I keep in touch with past scholarship recipients and am excited about their passion for science and commitment to advanced study.”
The COS Foundation facilitates over $370,000 a year in scholarships to incoming, continuing and transferring COS students from the local area.
The COS Foundation is an independent nonprofit organization led by volunteer community members within the COS District that are supportive of COS and its positive impact on students and their communities. Foundation volunteers and staff cultivate and direct community resources to COS in the areas that matter most to the communities for which COS serves. Primarily through direct gifts, special events and planned giving, these raised resources are invested or immediately spent for the direct benefit of COS students and programs. Some recent uses include student scholarships, educational equipment purchases, and capital improvements.
Gifts to the Foundation assist COS in providing quality education at an affordable cost, ensuring that College of the Sequoias will continue to graduate well trained, competent men and women who will take their places in the business, industry and service occupations of the San Joaquin Valley. Donations can be given in a number of ways: cash, stock, real property, deferred gifts, memorials, matching gifts, scholarships and in-kind donations.
For more information about the COS Foundation, visit www.COS.edu/foundation or call 730-3861.