Cerritos College held a scholarship workshop in the Business Education building Tuesday that was open to the public at no cost.

Veronica Castro, account technician for the Financial Aid Department, spoke about the many opportunities open to current students and prospective students.

Bianca Macias, a childhood development major, was surprised with the outcome, saying, “It was very informative.

“Usually I don’t really take the little workshop flyers seriously but it actually does help,” she added.

There are various types of scholarships, each with their own set of requirements.

When applying for these scholarships, you will be asked about everything from your gender, to your GPA, to your educational goals, and volunteering to help in your community is a major plus.

Crystal Laguna, an undecided major, found the workshop extremely helpful, saying, “I didn’t know about the foundation center, I had no idea that existed. So I’m really glad they told me about that.”

The foundation center, a non-profit organization, helps Cerritos students faced with financial hardship by offering scholarships.

Even undocumented citizens are given the opportunity to achieve.

“The foundation office offers 91 scholarships, and out of the 91, only five require citizenship,” Castro said.

Students can find information about scholarships all around, from the library, to the foundation office, as well as online but Castro stresses to be careful.  

“Real donors know that if you’re looking for money they’re not gonna ask you for money,” said Castro.

Every seat in the workshop was filled.

Shannon Estrada, re-entry resource specialist, was enthusiastic about the turnout.

“When I was here as a student, I wish that I would of known about scholarships and that’s why I’m so into pushing them now,” she said.

“A lot of [students] think you have to be a sports star or have a 4.0. you totally don’t.”

The Re-entry program helps students who haven’t attended school for some time, and special scholarships are available to them as well.

Castro also was excited about the workshop, saying, “I think it went great. Everybody had questions so I knew that they were interacting, they were listening, so I think that it was a good workshop today.”

For more information, visit the Financial Aid department or log on to cms.cerritos.edu/foundation/scholarships/scholarship-home, where you can fill out a general scholarship application.