Oregon College Savings Plan Grows Class of Multi-Year Scholarship Awardees

Scholarship targets diverse and underrepresented Oregon students

SALEM, Ore. , Aug. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Oregon College Saving Plan (OCSP) today announced the new winner of the 2022 Diversity in Leadership Scholarship. This is the second year the scholarship has been awarded to an underrepresented and diverse Oregon high school graduate pursuing higher education in the state. This year's recipient, Mariam Qudoos, plans to study Psychology on the Pre-Med track at Portland State University.

"The Oregon College Savings Plan scholarship will enable me to become the first independent female in my family line to finish a college degree and work towards medical school," said scholarship awardee, Mariam Qudoos. "My dream for the future is to build bridges between people of different backgrounds with my work, to show that our humanity can connect and tap into extraordinary feats of achievements when we learn how to collaborate."

OCSP's 2021 Diversity in Leadership Scholarship awardee, Monserrat Beltran Juarez, is set to begin her first year at the University of Portland, after deferring her award last year. Monserrat plans to become a registered nurse.

"I am the daughter of two Mexican immigrants, who are agricultural workers," said scholarship awardee Monserrat Beltran Juarez. "I will be the first person in my family to graduate high school and pursue a college education. I want my parents to see that each hour of their exhausting work has been worth it. I want to show my younger sister that life outside of the orchards is possible. I know my eight-year-old self—the little girl who was beginning to learn English after living in Mexico for two years—would be so amazed at how far she has come."

New OCSP scholarship recipients are selected each year, with awardees receiving $10,000 for their freshman year and $5,000 for each of the next three years of full-time enrollment, or until completion of degree (whichever is earlier).

Miriam joins last year's awardees as part of a select group of students whose higher education is being funded on a multiyear basis by the OCSP. When fully rolled out, the program is anticipated to fund $50,000 in scholarships each year to a class of eight students.

"We are excited to welcome these accomplished Oregonians to the group of students being funded by our Diversity in Leadership Scholarship," said Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Read. "This scholarship is an investment, aimed at making Oregon's future more inclusive, and we're gratified to support the education journeys of promising students such as Miriam and Monserrat. We all have a stake in their success and hope they will continue to contribute to Oregon's future."

Diversity in Leadership Scholarship awards may be used to attend a range of Oregon institutions, including apprenticeships, trade schools and community colleges. Applications are open from November to March each year.

The Oregon College Savings Plan is a state-sponsored higher education savings program that comes with special tax advantages and can be opened by just about anyone.

Contact:
Kasey Krifka, kasey.krifka@ost.state.or.us, 503-431-7976

SOURCE Oregon College Savings Plan