Foothill Norma Jean Bodey Galiher First Generation Scholarship

Description & Purpose:
Norma Jean Bodey Galiher has had a life-long passion for learning and has never stopped enjoying the challenge of continued learning, both for professional reasons and personal enrichment (including having taken many adult education classes at Foothill College). She feels fortunate to have had a loving family who placed a high value on education and supported her aspiration to study to obtain her bachelors and masters degrees at UCLA, as well as the credential that would allow her to teach biology in community college. While life circumstances did not result in her teaching professionally, she has continued to enjoy other opportunities to teach while enjoying her career in the biomedical sciences. She is a long-time docent at Edgewood Natural Preserve and enjoys opportunities to apply her knowledge and teaching skills there and through other volunteer work. Having had friends who were not fortunate enough to be supported by their families through their college years, she has come to appreciate the challenges it can pose for students who need to carry a substantial work load while studying. She is especially inspired by the courage and determination of students who are first in their family to attend college, navigating their way through, perhaps working outside of school, and applying themselves with determination and perseverance. This scholarship is for those students who are serious and working hard to achieve their goals but need financial support.

Minimum Qualifications:

1. Applicant must be enrolled at Foothill College in at least 6 units at the time of application and disbursement of scholarship funds.
2. Applicant’s cumulative Foothill GPA must be a 3.00 or higher
3. Applicant must be first in their family to go to college.
4. Applicant must demonstrate how being first in family has impacted your education and/or been an obstacle in pursuing your educational goals.
5. Applicant must demonstrate financial need. Applicant must file a current academic year’s financial aid application (the FAFSA at www.fafsa.gov for U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens, or the California Dream Act Application at https://dream.csac.ca.gov for undocumented students who qualify for AB540 status) at least one week prior to the scholarship application deadline by 4:00pm. NOTE: Undocumented students who do not qualify for AB540 status should contact the Financial Aid Office for guidance about completing a financial aid application.

Note: This scholarship is renewable for a second year providing the applicant meets the above qualifications in next fall quarter.