KLAMATH FALLS — Two Klamath Community College students recently received generous grants from the women’s-focused Soroptimist International “Live your Dream” program, overcoming difficulties early in their lives that created roadblocks to financial stability.
Jolean Hardesty, a mother of five and KCC business management student, detailed in her application her life story and difficulties in overcoming adversity. She received a $3,000 award.
Alleysen Reser, a psychology student working toward an addiction counselor certification, shared her experiences of homelessness, young motherhood and homeschooling her three children. She was awarded $2,000, some of which she will put toward tuition.
Both are in KCC’s U.S. Department of Education TRiO Student Support Services program. Hardesty is a graduate of KCC’s Klamath Center for Education and Training (K-CET) GED program, and a participant in KCC’s state grant-funded First-Generation Student Success program.
The women emphasize the importance of scholarships and support systems in their educational pursuits and encourage others to pursue their goals despite what may seem like overwhelming odds.
It is rare that two students from the same school would win, Cheryl Matchett, the local Soroptimist International committee chairperson, said. Soroptimist will host a luncheon in the students’ honor in April.
The pair wrote essays about their troubled youth and how they needed to chart a new course by returning to school to create better lives for their families.
Hardesty, who commutes from Chiloquin to work 12-hour shifts at the Klamath Falls JELD-WEN plant, said she decided to obtain her GED through the K-CET program at KCC because she had always regretted not having a high school diploma. And she wants to advance her career.
“It was difficult, really difficult, working, caring for my family, and going to school and trying to pass the GED,” she said. But the encouragement she received from KCC staff kept her going. “I really wanted to be an example for my kids. I felt very vulnerable writing about my previous life in the grant application. I really put myself out there.”
Today she is focused on accomplishing her goals.
“I had read somewhere that if a woman attends higher education, her child has an 85% chance of going to college too,” Hardesty said.
Reser has three children, which she home schools with the help of a partner. She was homeless and disconnected from her family in her senior year of high school, but was able to graduate with a 3.5 grade point average.
“I wrote about how going back to school was to not only better my life, but to better the lives of my children. I want to break that generational poverty chain that not having an education entails.”
The awards came from Soroptimist International of the Americas, a global volunteer organization that seeks to help women.
“One of the ways we help is through our cornerstone ‘Live Your Dream’ program which began 54 years ago,” Matchett said. “The Live Your Dream program empowers women and their families, advances education and training, helps further career and job opportunities, and helps dreams come true with cash awards.” This year the organization is giving away $18,000 in awards. First-place winners are entered in the regional and national competition to win more financial awards.
The local Soroptimist Club also gives, “Dream Investment Awards” to women that apply for the Live Your Dream Award, but don’t quite make it for one reason or another. That is the award given to Reser.
Women must meet the eligibility requirements such as being the primary financial provider for their household, have at least one dependent, be enrolled in a training, vocational or undergraduate degree program, and have financial need.
“We also look for women who have overcome significant obstacles and are trying to better their and their children’s lives by getting an education or training. We believe that when you help a woman, you also help her family, the community, and the world,” Matchett said.
Reser plans to continue her education in the drug and alcohol counseling field.
“I just want to help somebody, anybody really, that is struggling, and they might just need that extra person to support them. Eventually, though, I would like to go back to school and obtain a bachelor’s and master’s degree,” she said.
For Hardesty, obtaining her GED was the start.
“After I got my GED, I felt really empowered. And I felt like, oh my, maybe I could do something more. So, I looked into degrees you could do online while you’re still working and landed on business management,” she said.
For those interested in the Soroptimist grants, any woman who wishes to apply can. Apply at www.soroptimist.org/our-work/live-your-dream-awards/index.html. Signup starts in August.
For more information about KCC and its programs, visit www.klamathcc.edu.
