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Rio Salado College is proud to announce the recipients of this year's Chancellor and Foundation scholarships. These scholarships recognize outstanding academic achievement and personal perseverance in the pursuit of higher education. This year's winners are Alexandria Dodd, Amaki Ogasawara, and Meagan Borchart. They were honored this month at a celebration of all Maricopa Community College Honors Program scholarship recipients.
“Alexandria, Amaki and Meagan exemplify the hardworking students at Rio Salado College,” said President Kate Smith. “We are proud of their accomplishments and look forward to seeing their future achievements.”
Alexandria Dodd, the recipient of the Chancellor's scholarship, is an Arizona native who has always had a love for learning, but found she needed a break after high school. With her parents' encouragement, she started college. Now pursuing a degree in business at Rio Salado, Dodd notes her great appreciation to her parents for their support throughout her schooling. She hopes to one day be able to reciprocate that support through her investment ventures. Receiving the Chancellor's scholarship will help Dodd achieve her goals and focus on saving up for future opportunities.
Amaki Ogasawara, the recipient of the Foundation scholarship, is an Imagine Prep high school senior who plans to become a child psychiatrist. Ogasawara hopes to help youth learn to better cope with bullying, exclusion and anxiety filled situations and live healthy, happy lives. As a non-binary individual of mixed race and ethnicity, Ogasawara says their identities have led to their own struggles, causing low self-esteem and mental illnesses like anxiety and depression. Receiving the Foundation scholarship will help Ogasawara achieve their goals and positively impact the lives of others. Upon finishing an Associate’s from Rio Salado in Biological Science, they plan to transfer to Arizona State University to complete their pre-med prerequisites and a degree in painting.
Meagan Borchart, the second recipient of the Foundation scholarship, is studying Behavioral Science, emphasizing Law. She hopes to complete her associates and move onto a bachelor’s degree. Bochart faced adversity throughout her life, allowing events to victimize her for too long; she found strength and drive through her two daughters to make a change in the different direction. Bochart wants to be a positive example for her children, and her passion for Behavioral Science has given her a new lease on life. Bochart says her past, while not always on the right side of the law, may allow her to bring a unique perspective to the table. Bochart's scholarship is dedicated to her daughters, who, she said, have saved her life more than once.
Rio Salado College is honored to recognize Alexandria, Amaki, and Meagan for their outstanding achievements and wishes them continued success in their academic and personal pursuits.
More about the scholarships:
Chancellor’s Scholarship
The Chancellor’s Scholarship is awarded each year and covers one year of full in-county tuition (up to 18 credits per semester), fees and $250 for books/supplies. Eligibility includes taking at least 12 credit hours per fall and spring semester, having a Maricopa Community Colleges cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher, and planning to enroll full-time in the upcoming fall and spring semesters.
Foundation Scholarship
Rio Salado awards the Foundation Scholarship of up to $1,000 each year to one student or $500 per year to two students in addition to the Honors Achievement Award funds. Eligibility requirements include having a cumulative Maricopa Community Colleges GPA of 3.25 or higher and planning to enroll full-time during the fall and spring.
Information about eligibility for Rio Salado’s Honors Program is available online.
Other scholarship opportunities can be found through Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation. The deadline for fall 2023 scholarships is April 30.