Five Star Credit Union recently donated $2000 to establish a scholarship fund for Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC) Adult Education students in Mitchell County. SRTC’s Adult Education program offers free Adult Literacy courses, Career Training, English Language Acquisition classes, and High School Equivalency (HSE) exam preparation classes in Math, Science, Social Studies and English Language Arts in its eleven-county service delivery area, including Mitchell County.
While SRTC offers Adult Education classes at no charge to students, the HSE exams such as the GED ® or HiSET ® do have a cost of about $40 each. “For many of our students, their last hurdle before earning their HSE is the nominal cost associated with the exams,” said SRTC’s Director for Adult Education Andy Semones. “Community partners like Five Star Credit Union make a real impact on our students’ lives by helping them cross that finish line.”
Financial education is one of the main pillars of how Five Star Credit Union brightens the future of its members. Five Star sponsors financial education in five middle and high schools in Bainbridge and Cairo. Adult financial education is offered online through the Five Star website (fivestarcu.com). Sponsoring the SRTC Adult Education courses makes perfect sense. “We recognize that many adults in our communities need help gaining more education and training,” said Bob Steensma, president and CEO, Five Star Credit Union. “By lifting the financial barrier, more students should be able to get their GED or HSE, which puts them on a path for higher paying jobs. This will help them gain more financial freedom.” Five Star is a not-for-profit financial institution that serves 54,000 members in 18 counties across Alabama and Georgia including three branches in Mitchell, Decatur, and Grady counties.
Southern Regional Technical College Foundation will manage the scholarship in cooperation with SRTC’s Office of Adult Education. The mission of the Southern Regional Technical College Foundation is to encourage, receive, and administer financial gifts. Its first priority is to provide support that enhances student learning. SRTC’s Director of Resource Development Christina Reneau said, “The support of community partners like Five Star Credit Union empowers our students to change the course of their lives. We are grateful for their generosity and their dedication to education and workforce development in our community.”
SRTC offers over 130 degree, diploma, and certificate programs that are designed to get you quickly into your desired career, and 28 general education courses that transfer to the University System of Georgia institutions and 19 private colleges and universities in Georgia. SRTC has instructional sites located in Colquitt, Decatur, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, Thomas, Tift, Turner, and Worth counties for the convenience of our students. The College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). SACSCOC is the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states. For the most up-to-date information on registration, class dates, and program offerings, log on to www.southernregional.edu.
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