Jeanne Worden
The Worden Family Scholarship was established by current NTC President, Dr. Jeannie Worden, to encourage and inspire students who return to NTC as adult learners. In Dr. Worden’s own words . . . “I created this scholarship to benefit returning adult learners pursuing a degree in Business Management. As a returning adult learner myself, I know the challenges faced when the decision to come back to school is made. I am pleased to support this scholarship as a vote of confidence and encouragement to these students”.
Impact
The impact of this scholarship can be seen through the words of a recent recipient:
“I’d like to start by saying thank you. Sometimes those words don’t seem like enough, and this is certainly one of those moments. I was hesitant to pursue a degree in my 40’s for many reasons, one of which was the debt I would be taking on later in life. Because of your generous gift, the financial weight of college will be a bit lighter for me and for that I am extremely grateful. Becoming a college graduate has always been something I secretly held on to in my heart, and you are helping me make that dream a reality.
I’d like you to know that I intend on making sure this opportunity isn’t wasted. I believe everything happens for a reason, and my commitment to my studies now may not have existed had I went to college right after high school. I’m determined to make my family and friends proud as a way to thank them for their support as I have navigated this path, and that determination extends to my scholarship donor as you have invested in my future as well. Going into my last semester I’m going to work as hard as I can to finish with my 4.0 GPA intact. While you likely will not know when or where my educational journey ends (even I don’t quite know that yet), rest assured I consider your generosity to be a driving force towards my success. I look forward to paying it forward someday. Thank you so, so much for this scholarship award. It means more to me than I can adequately put into words".