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Fresh Start scholarships continue to suppport non-traditional college women in Delaware

Matthew Gadzinski
Fresh Start Scholarship Foundation Scholars and Mentors at the 2019 Rising Stars event

A scholarship program for women in Delaware is continuing to have an impact.

The Fresh Start Scholarship Foundation was able to exceed its $40,000 fundraising goal at an event Wednesday night with elected officials and state dignitaries in attendance.

The foundation has been offering college scholarships and mentorship for women in Delaware for more than two decades. It supports non-traditional students with a gap in their education.

“They didn’t go right from high school to college, or maybe they did but had to stop to take care of an ill family member or something like that and are now going back to finish their undergraduate degree,” said Fresh Start Board President Michele Whetzel.  

Amanda Baker is a counsellor at Delaware’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. She says she had to drop out of Delaware Tech because of health problems, and would not have been able to return to school for a degree in Behavioral Sciences at Wilmington University without a Fresh Start Scholarship.

“There were many times where if I had to be a mom, work full time, go to school full time and try to figure out where the money was coming from that they were contributing, I would’ve just, kind of, thrown in the towel and given up,” said Baker.  

Fresh Start has given more than $1 million to nearly 250 women in Delaware since its launch. The foundation renews funding until a recipient graduates if they keep their grades up.

This year 37 women are being supported by Fresh Start with more than $98,000 in scholarships. Officials say about half of the women are returning to school in their 30s.