Scholarship recipients juggle full academic schedules with off-campus jobs
Scholarship recipients juggle full academic schedules with off-campus jobs
Scholarship recipients juggle full academic schedules with off-campus jobs
4/20/2023
Photos courtesy of University of Guam
Three University of Guam students each received $500 in scholarship from the Filipino Ladies Association of Guam recently.
Scholarship recipients Veronica Marie Manicsic, Ansherina Borja, and Ella Pobre are moving along different academic tracks but they also share one thing: While trying to maintain their academic benchmarks to qualify for scholarships, they also hold jobs in the private sector.
In general, scholarship grantors look favorably on applicants who can demonstrate a good balance between juggling a job and keeping their academic performance up, said Director Mark A. Duarte, with the Financial Aid and One Stop Office at UOG.
“I think the fact that they can handle work and still do well in school is something that the organization took into consideration when making their selection,” Duarte said.
Manicsic, a junior who's on the chemistry and biology dual degree track, works at a medical clinic while she’s keeping up with being a student full-time.
A merit scholar from John F. Kennedy High School, Manicsic plans to apply to a medical program to become a physician assistant.
Pobre, also a merit scholar, from Simon Sanchez High School, aims to become a nurse.
She said that her decision to enroll in the Margaret Perez Hattori-Uchima School of Health’s nursing program was influenced by the kindness of school nurses who helped her get through playground bruises and other minor injuries while she was in elementary school.
“I’m hoping to make the same difference in my life,” Pobre said.
Pobre also shared that she would like to help fill a gap in the nursing workforce in Guam and contribute to the greater need to improve health care on the island. Growing up, she said, going to a medical clinic was a luxury because her mother’s health insurance was not enough to cover most of the medical costs for her family.
The third scholar, Ansherina Borja, is a sophomore working on her business degree at the School of Business and Public Administration. A graduate of Okkodo High School, Borja also works as a front desk supervisor in one of the internationally branded hotels in Tumon Bay.
Borja plans to save up enough money to start an entrepreneurial venture. Borja said she plans to finish college “as soon as I can.”
The three students’ ability to keep up with their academic commitments while working to help pay for college is commendable, said Lynda Tolan, with the Filipino Ladies Association of Guam.
To learn more about scholarship opportunities and financial aid for college, contact Financial Aid and One Stop Office Director Mark Duarte:
Tel: (671) 735-2266
mduarte@triton.uog.edu
https://www.uog.edu/financial-aid
