Fall Scholarships Help Four Lutheran SeniorLife Employees Continue Their Education

Paige Volz knows what $1,000 means.

“It takes me a very long time to earn $1,000,” she said.

And college has plenty of places to spend it between tuition, books and other materials. For Volz, this scholarship means some of that pressure is off. It is money she no longer has to find somewhere else while trying to work, go to school and prepare for what comes next. Instead, she can put more of her attention toward her classes and less toward the cost of getting through them.

This fall, Volz and three other Lutheran SeniorLife employees — Kadence Metz, Corrina Freed and Kylee Brennan — received Employee Scholarships totaling $3,750.

What that money means looks a little different for each of them.

For Metz, it means taking on less student debt.

“Receiving the scholarship has reduced the amount of student loans I have had to take out and has lessened the great stress caused by incurring student debt,” she said. “I am incredibly grateful for this.”

Freed is attending Duquesne University, where the scholarship is helping with the books and materials that come with starting college.

“This scholarship has allowed me to focus on my education and what’s to come next, rather than the stress of finding a way to finance every last thing,” Freed said.

For Brennan, the timing matters for another reason. Her mother recently lost the job she had held for 37 years, and her father is preparing for retirement. At the same time, Brennan is preparing to begin the nursing program at Slippery Rock University, where she plans to earn her bachelor’s degree.

“College can be very expensive,” she said. “Being gifted this generous scholarship will not only help me now, but it will also help me in the future as I continue to save money for my education.”

Brennan hopes the career she is working toward will eventually give her the chance to do for others what people have done for her.

“Although different, I hope to be helping and supporting people throughout their lives just like all of you who made this scholarship possible have helped and supported me and my dreams.”

Volz has already seen some of that connection between work and what comes next.

“I have enjoyed every moment working at Lutheran SeniorLife in the Assisted Living building and have grown as a student,” she said. “This job has helped me prepare for my future.”

That is part of the reason the Lutheran SeniorLife Foundation Employee Scholarship Fund exists.

The scholarships are supported entirely through donor gifts and are available to eligible casual employees pursuing education beyond high school. For the students who receive them, the money can go toward the very practical expenses that come with college—tuition, books, materials, and the other costs that add up quickly.

And those are not abstract benefits.

Metz can borrow less. Freed has help covering books and materials. Brennan has some additional support at a difficult time for her family. And Volz has $1,000 she no longer has to spend months trying to earn before she can put it toward school.

That is where the generosity behind the Employee Scholarship Fund ultimately lands — in four very real college budgets, helping four Lutheran SeniorLife employees keep working toward the futures they have planned for themselves.

Looking Ahead

The next round of Lutheran SeniorLife Employee Scholarship applications will be available in October, with applications due by November 15. Eligible applicants include Lutheran SeniorLife casual employees who have worked 200 hours or more during the previous four quarters.

The Employee Scholarship Fund is made possible through the generosity of donors.

Those interested in helping another Lutheran SeniorLife employee continue their education can support the fund through the Lutheran SeniorLife giving page.