Press Release

$23,000 in Scholarships Awarded to 15 Arizona Students by the Arizona Higher Education Loan Authority.

TEMPE, AZ, August 6th, 2007 – The Arizona Higher Education Loan Authority (AHELA) hosted the AHELA Annual Scholarship Luncheon at the Fiesta Resort Conference Center in Tempe, AZ. Fifteen scholarships, totaling $23,000, were awarded to Arizona students based on academic achievement, financial need, community involvement, actual program of study (teachers and nurses), and, in some cases, written essays. AHELA received over 500 scholarship applications from students attending 16 different schools in Arizona.

Scholarships were awarded to the following students:

AHELA 9/11 Memorial Scholarship, $2,500

Michael Bennett, University of Arizona

Debra Reinhard, Arizona State University

Evan Charles Purcell, Arizona State University

Thomas Clees, Arizona State University

AHELA Cares, $2,000

Kayla Becker, Collins College

Casey Downes, Northern Arizona University

AHELA Nurses, $1,000

Delilah Guerrero, Phoenix College

Hope Scott, Glendale Community College

Sandra Godoy, Estrella Mountain Community College

Laura Francis, Glendale Community College

AHELA Educators, $1,000

John Rodriguez, University of Arizona

Jamie Dingemans, Northern Arizona University

Leyvette Nuguid, Grand Canyon University

Megan Ross, Pima Community College

College Goal Sunday Scholarship, $1,000

Efren Martinez, Arizona State University

All 15 scholars were invited to special luncheon in their honor to meet each other, meet representatives of their school, and meet members of the community. The day also included a guest speaker, Martha Harmon, on the state of education funding in Arizona. Martha Harmon is the CEO of the Arizona College Scholarship Foundation.

AHELA is Arizona’s designated non-profit student loan provider and secondary market. AHELA’s mission is to increase access to higher education through it’s low-cost loan programs, scholarship & outreach programs, as well as, working with our schools and our state government to strengthen our educational system.  AHELA recognizes that the skyrocketing costs of education makes this an even more difficult task for all involved, but hopes through early awareness programs, private and public partnerships, and working with our state’s educational institutions, we can all work together to make sure that a higher education is still obtainable.

For more details on AHELA Scholarship programs, including scholarship deadlines for next year, visit AHELA’s website at www.ahela.org/scholarships.