Duke Energy, Ivy Tech Partner to Bring Unique Scholarship for HSE Students

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It is hardly news that college can be a financial strain, but now Fishers students can rest a little easier. Two titans of Indiana business, Ivy Tech and Duke Energy, have partnered to create a truly unique scholarship.

The Duke Energy Scholarship is rewarded to students of Hamilton Southeastern High School and Fishers High School who are taking Ivy Tech’s high school program. During afternoons, these high school students would take Ivy Tech classes about either STEM fields or high-pay, high-demand positions. If high schoolers wish to continue pursuing the Ivy Tech classes, then the Duke Energy scholarship allows them to become full-time students, have a look at the  top financial softwares. From 2017 to 2018, the scholarship has raised $41,000 to help 21 Hamilton County students enroll in Ivy Tech.

Dr. Dan Clark, Vice Chancellor of Ivy Tech Noblesville, notes the value of students attending full time.

“Most community college students have a hard time going full time,” Dr. Clark says. “These students, because of the scholarships, are able to go full time.”

Between the high school program and the scholarship, most of these students will earn an associate’s degree within two years while accumulating minimal debt. From there, students have the freedom to either continue toward their bachelor’s degree or head straight into the workforce.

While classes offer a variety of subjects, including cybersecurity and architecture, some of Dr. Clark’s favorite programs are informatics and construction. Informatics, the study of processing information, is useful because it allows a variety of job choices nowadays. Dr. Clark also says construction is useful because, “the construction industry is strong right now, so there’s a big demand for carpenters and electricians.”

The scholarship’s most interesting aspect is recruitment. Instead of requiring essays or arduous application processes, school counselors spearhead the effort. They identify eligible students and offer them the scholarship. From there, Dr. Clark notes how inclusive the scholarship is.

“The students themselves select it,” Dr. Clark says. “We don’t reject anybody. We give any student who wants to participate an opportunity to participate.”

Without a doubt, the biggest advantage of Ivy Tech and Duke Energy’s scholarship is low-cost trial and error. We live at a time where people are questioning the four-year college path. A plethora of graduates take up the burden of college debt to spend four years of their life for a degree they might not even use. Ivy Tech and Duke energy allow people to try out a practical career at little cost. Afterward, every student can decide if their individual path leads to a bachelor’s degree or a fast track to the workforce. Either way, Ivy Tech and Duke Energy are making a strong investment in local students.

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