The Dr. Leon Bromberg Charitable Trust recently awarded the Galveston College Emergency Student Scholarship Fund a gift of $3,000. The Bromberg is a mainstay within the Galveston philanthropic community and a long-time supporter of the college.
The Bromberg gift comes at a much-needed time for the scholarship designed to help students overcome unexpected financial emergencies. Of the $50,000 budgeted at the beginning of the year, less than $6,000 remains at the end of June. In May, as scholarship funds dwindled, the Bromberg board responded to an appeal brought on by COVID-19 and its effect on Galveston College students and their families.
The pandemic placed an enormous financial strain on many of the college’s students and the families they support.
“The Emergency Scholarship reduces these stresses,” said Meghann Nash, director of financial aid. “It allows the student with unexpected bills to stay in college and graduate.”
Seventy percent of Galveston College students attend part-time. They balance the needs of higher education or training with jobs and families. Approximately one in four students have children. They work in island industries that rely heavily on part-time workers, such as leisure, retail and hospitality.
As these industries scale back or shutter, students find themselves on reduced hours or unemployed facing unexpected financial emergencies that threaten their education. The Emergency Student Scholarship Fund helps students through these difficult times allowing them to stay in college without delaying their futures due to a financial crisis.