Now, Not Tomorrow Scholarship Helps First-Time-In-College Students

St. Petersburg College freshman Gabriel Paskevicius, an Associate in Arts student with his eye on a degree in business, was one of 20 students who won iPads for applying for the Now, Not Tomorrow Scholarship, which was funded by a grant from the Florida College Access Network.

The scholarship, offered ahead of the college’s Fall 2021 Term, provided a free class to eligible applicants – Florida residents who are First-Time-In-College students and 2020 or 2021 high school graduates who registered for two or more classes. More than 160 scholarships were awarded.

As one of the first 20 students to apply, Paskevicius also won an iPad that SPC gave away as an incentive to apply for the scholarship. Paskevicius said he was using a borrowed laptop for his classes before winning the iPad.

“It’s going to be a big help,” he said. “I’m using it to work on my classes and communicate with my teachers.”

SPC’s Director of Recruitment Services Jacob Wortock said the scholarship opportunity helped students facing financial hurdles to start college in Fall 2021. “It was an opportunity for students who may have had financial barriers due to COVID or other circumstances to get into college.”

Technology needs have been another struggle for students, especially those coming from low-income families, which is why the college decided to give away iPads, Wortock said. “In this new world that we are in, they want to take the online classes but they can’t. They’re stuck in both regards. They can’t get transportation to classes, but they also don’t have the technology to take the online classes. That’s why we chose those incentives because we noticed there were technology hurdles.”

The Florida College Access Network or FCAN partners with educators and organizations throughout the state to work to achieve the state’s SAIL to 60 Initiative: for at least 60% of Florida adults to hold degrees and workforce-relevant credentials by 2030. SAIL stands for “Strengthening Alignment between Industry and Learning.”

Also supporting the scholarship opportunity and iPad giveaway was LEAP Tampa Bay College Access Network. This network of over 50 community partners is committed to changing lives by connecting resident to education and training beyond high school. SPC is among the organization’s partners. This year, the organization received the 2021 Member of the Year Award of Excellence from the National College Attainment Network.