EUGENE, OR - Vern Duwell of Walton is on track for a new career in health care thanks in large part to a Ford Family Foundation Restart scholarship awarded in spring 2011. That scholarship will cover up to 90 percent of his unmet college costs up to a maximum of $25,000 per year, through degree completion. Duwell had not heard of the scholarship until he attended "How to Pay for College...In One Day," an annual event at Lane Community College.
This year's event, held in conjunction with College Goal Oregon, will be held Saturday, January 21, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., in the Center for Meeting and Learning, Building 19 lobby, main campus in Eugene, 4000 E. 30th Avenue. Financial aid and scholarship experts will help students complete the FAFSA federal financial aid form, and explore dozens of scholarship resources. Anyone may attend, not just students who what to go to Lane.
"Show up," says Duwell. "You won't get anything if you don't apply." He wouldn't be in college today without the resources he discovered by attending Lane's workshop, he says.
Duwell, now 47, worked for more than 16 years as a skilled millwright. A back injury put an end to that. He moved into RV sales, then that industry collapsed. With two sons to support by then, Duwell wanted something not only secure, but meaningful.
He started thinking about a healthcare career after a challenging personal experience. His son Morgan was diagnosed with liver cancer at just two years old. The outlook was bleak. A transplant was required. Happily, that happened, and today Morgan is a robust 10-year-old who accompanies his dad and his 9-year-old brother Kyle on outdoor excursions such as fishing and four-wheeling around western and southern Oregon.
Duwell loves people and especially kids—he volunteers as Santa every year and helps out Toys for Tots—and he knows that his technical skills from his millwrighting days will make him a quick study in learning the high-tech equipment used in radiology or nursing, the two careers that most interest him. So far he's making it through the rigors of anatomy and physiology and other pre-requisites as a full-time student at Lane. He spends his free time with his kids and his fiancé, who works in a hospital emergency room.
"How to Pay for College...In One Day" includes information about scholarships from the Ford Family Foundation, Oregon Student Assistance Commission, and Lane Foundation. Workshops are offered in English and Spanish.
Sponsors are Roehl & Yi Investment Advisors, LLC; Higher One; Lane Community College Foundation; College Goal Sunday; LCC Career and Employment Services; and LCC Enrollment and Student Financial Services.
For disability accommodations, contact Center for Accessible Resources at (541) 463-5150 or (541) 463-3079 (TTY) in advance. Lane is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution. Visit online at www.lanecc.edu or www.twitter.com/lanenews or www.facebook.com/lanecommunitycollege
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Media contacts:
Joan Aschim, PIO, (541) 463-5591, aschimj@lanecc.edu
Jackie Bryson, Scholarship Coordinator, (541) 463-5164, brysonj@lanecc.edu