Scholarship Funding Available to Arizona Minority Residents to Further Educational Goals
SCOTTSDALE, AZ – Having helped fund the educational goals for nearly 100 Arizonans over the last four years, the Fiesta Bowl Organization and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona have again partnered to provide the Empowering Diversity Scholarship ahead of the 2024-25 school year.
The Empowering Diversity Scholarship presented by Fiesta Bowl and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona supports the dreams of Arizona minorities in their educational journeys, as part of the organizations’ commitment to diversity, equity & inclusion. The financial commitment from both partners ensures that applicants have the opportunity to further their education, no matter their cultural fluency, resiliency or life experiences.
In the first four years of the Empowering Diversity Scholarship, 91 Arizona minority residents received a total of $351,500 to pursue their aspirations through higher education.
“In partnership with the Fiesta Bowl, we are proud to continue to empower students across Arizona for the fifth consecutive year,” said Pam Kehaly, Chief Executive Officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. “This scholarship not only helps fund their education but also provides greater opportunity to achieve their goals.”
Last year, a total of $92,500 in financial support was awarded to 25 Arizonans, with 15 students receiving funding through the post-secondary track and 10 individuals assisting in their pursuit of a GED (general education development) credential.
The application period for the 2024-25 Empowering Diversity Scholarship opens today, April 15, and closes on Friday, May 3, at 6 p.m. MST. The selected recipients will be announced in June. More information, including the application, can be found at FiestaBowl.org/DiversityScholarship.
“Everyone should have an opportunity to pursue their educational ambitions, and without support, some of those dreams may never be realized,” said Fiesta Bowl Executive Director & CEO Erik Moses. “The Empowering Diversity Scholarship is not only an investment in someone’s future, but an investment in our future as a state as well.”
Arizona minority residents can apply for the Empowering Diversity Scholarship through either the GED or post-secondary tracks.
The GED track is open to Arizona minority residents at least 16 years of age who have not graduated from an accredited high school or received a high school equivalency certificate or diploma. Those individuals must also not be currently enrolled in high school or college. Recipients will receive $500 to cover fees associated with their GED assessment as well as program support services provided by College Depot. Recipients will also receive an additional $500 stipend to purchase books, laptops and/or education-related resources.
Arizona minority students living in Arizona are eligible to apply for the post-secondary track if they are in their senior year of high school or a current attendee of an Arizona post-secondary institution. Recipients will be awarded a one-time $5,000 scholarship with additional support services provided by Be A Leader Foundation or Education Forward Arizona and must maintain a 3.0 grade point average.
The Empowering Diversity Scholarship is especially critical for individuals living in Arizona. In 2023, Arizona ranked as the 10th most diverse state in the U.S. Representing many of the state’s future leaders, those eligible for the Empowering Diversity Scholarship are often those who face the biggest obstacles to attaining their educational dreams.
The pursuit of higher education among students from historically underrepresented populations continues to rise, according to an Arizona Board of Regents report, providing tangible data supporting the importance of the Empowering Diversity Scholarship.
In the fall of 2023, all three public state institutions (Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and University of Arizona) saw increases in undergraduate students from underrepresented populations. Arizona State University experienced a 2.4 percent enrollment increase to 32 percent from the previous fall, Northern Arizona University rose 2.2 percent to 33 percent and the University of Arizona saw a significant increase of 79.5 percent from fall 2022 to fall 2023 to 36.5 percent in total.
Since the inception of the Empowering Diversity Scholarship, recipients have gone on to attend institutions across Arizona. In addition to the three state four-year institutions, those on the post-secondary track attended Grand Canyon University, Coconino Community College, Chandler-Gilbert Community College and Cochise Community College. Outside of the post-secondary track, the Empowering Diversity Scholarship has aided the efforts of 30 individuals pursuing their GED.
To view last year’s recipients of the Empowering Diversity Scholarship presented by Fiesta Bowl and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, click here.
