CGCC Insider: Students bettering lives with help of College Foundation

By Ryan Lawrence

Are you a CGCC Foundation donor that wants to read about how your donations support students? 

Or maybe you are just curious about a couple of our local success stories, and how the Foundation and its donors are working hard to keep students out of debt.

Well, keep scrolling down and reading my friends, because I have three great stories to share. 

Patricia Prentice by the Niagara River in September 2021. Contributed Photo

Patricia Prentice

“Now it’s my turn,” student Patricia Prentice likes to tell her 7 grown children. Patricia considers herself lucky to have watched 5 of those 7 earn degrees. But she considers herself equally lucky to now have the opportunity to earn a degree herself. And the Foundation is partly to thank for this. 

Patricia is now in her final year at CGCC in the pursuit of an Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer degree. This is quite an accomplishment considering she was only able to take two classes a term while she worked to run her own housecleaning business. 

 When asked how the scholarship has helped her in the pursuit of this goal she said, “The CGCC Foundation Scholarship has helped me to stay completely out of debt, which is a major goal in my life.”

I think we can all relate to that. The scholarship enabled her to reduce her work hours, which freed up time for classes. It is thanks to the Foundation, she says, that she has been able to consistently take those two classes a term. And also spend more time with her 5 grandchildren, who live in Portland and Seattle.  

Patricia says that a large reason why she is pursuing a degree so late in life is that retirement is not an option for her currently. But she also believes that “knowledge is the key to success in all areas of life.”

I could not have put it any better myself. 

Patricia has lived in numerous places in the Northwest since moving to the region almost 45 years ago, and now resides in Carson, Washington. She was raised in Niagara Falls, New York and was one of eleven children to an Italian family. 

Courtney Dusenberry

Student and mother Courtney Dusenberry said, "I apparently only take pictures in the car with my kids, haha.”

Our next featured scholar is a wife and mother of two pursuing a nursing degree at CGCC. Courtney Dusenberry has been the Orthopedic Surgical Coordinator for Mid-Columbia Medical Center for the last three years. Courtney was diagnosed with cervical cancer and had a hysterectomy in 2019. It was because of this she decided she wanted to work in Women’s Health. When she is not working or at school, she enjoys being outdoors and camping with family. 

 When asked how this scholarship will help her in the pursuit of her degree, she had this to say.

“As a working mother, I was always afraid and felt guilty for putting the financial burden of student loans or any kind of debt on my family. This scholarship allows me to finish my last term of pre-requisites and apply for the nursing program in 2022, without having to worry about the financial burden. This has been a dream of mine. I am so grateful it is becoming a reality.”

Courtney is very accomplished already. She is a certified personal trainer through the National Associations of Sports Medicine. She also has an Associate of Science in Veterinary Science and is a registered veterinary technician. Courtney is very excited to expand that knowledge into human medicine where she will offer the best possible care for her patients. 

Courtney wants to show her children that through hard work and dedication, anyone’s dreams can become a reality. I couldn’t think of a more worthy recipient for this scholarship. She and her family currently live in the Gorge. 

Traci Church-Witkowski smiling as 11 year old Moses Witkowski snaps a great photo of mom. Way to go Moses! Photo by Moses Witkowski age 11

 Traci Church-Witkowski

Our last recipient is an amazing woman who has dedicated her life to helping families in her community. Traci Church-Witkowski is a mother of five children and works at The Next Door, where she teaches parenting classes in seven different Oregon counties.

“Supporting families, especially parents, has become my life's work,” she said.

Being able to go to school in her community and turn around and use that education to enrich her neighbors’ lives means everything to her. 

Traci was awarded a scholarship from the Foundation, as well as one from the PEO Chapter in Hood River. PEO is an International Sisterhood that focuses on helping women further their education through scholarships and grants.

“For me the most beneficial part of the scholarship wasn't the money, it was knowing that a group of educated, successful women saw value in me,” she said. “It's been a great motivator to know that I am believed in.” 

Currently pursuing an Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer Degree, Traci had great insight on being a student in these strange times we live in. She sees so much value in being able to take classes online at CGCC because it has made a degree attainable for her.

 Traci says her Foundation Scholarship “has been like throwing a rock into a pond; the ripple effect is limitless.” It has inspired her children to want to continue their education as well. They have been able to watch their mother achieve so much, thanks to the financial freedom her Foundation Scholarship has provided.

Traci grew up in The Dalles where she and her family still live today.

Ryan Lawrence

Ryan Lawrence - CCCNew’s CGCC Insider

I was also lucky enough to have been awarded a Foundation Scholarship this year. This is an amazing opportunity for me, and I consider it to be one of my many blessings. This scholarship has allowed me to pursue something I am passionate about, which ultimately led to the very job I now have, writing to you at CCCNews. 

I was originally planning for a career as a physical education instructor. I love the idea of teaching, and I thought that PE was as good a teaching career as any. But I was just not passionate about it. Then I fell in love with writing and helping other students in my first college-level English course. About that same time, I also stumbled onto film photography.

 Once I was awarded the Foundation Scholarship, I was able to plan my monthly budget with a sense of security like I have never personally known before. This allowed me to follow my hobbies, which developed into my own little working darkroom. Since photography and journalism kind of go hand-in-hand it was a no-brainer; I knew what I wanted to do. I reached out to Tom Peterson here at Columbia Community Connection and he happily agreed to publish for me. It truly is surreal for me to sit here and write this to you.

In the past nine months, CGCC’s Scholarship Foundation has given out approximately $220,000 in scholarships. That is a huge number folks!

This has been awarded in the form of Foundation 2021-22 Full Year Scholarships, Early Childhood Education ECE Scholarships, Providence Scholarships for MA and CNA students, Metallica Scholars for CTE programs, and Rebound Scholarships. 

This is a great example of how our awesome Community College really does build dreams and transform lives. More information on how you can apply for one of these scholarships or become a donor can be found at https://www.cgccfoundation.org Thank you to our donors, the three lovely women who volunteered, and thank you reader for stopping by.