Whether you’re a musical protege, a dancing machine, or just a student of the fine arts, there are plenty of scholarships to offer its students. EC not only has scholarships for its arts,music, and dance students, but just about anyone can apply for a scholarship.
“Applying is simple. Since the school has your transcript it is easier to apply,” Kahea Kamahele, scholarship technician, said in regards to applying for any of the the 250 scholarships.
There are a handful of fine arts scholarships readily available for students, all of which require a minimum GPA of 2.0 or better. The student applying must be enrolled in six units or more and must continue to study at EC or transfer to a university, depending upon their area of study.
Yet, not nearly enough students are applying for the arts scholarships. Some art, music, or dance scholarships do not have anyone applying for them.
“I’ve been trying to hand out applications but it seems no one wants one. A lot of majors do not have applicants or do not have enough of them, such as dance,” Kamahele said.
Last year, only 600 students applied for scholarships at EC, a very small percentage in comparison to the population of the entire school, which is approximately 25,000.
“I haven’t really thought about applying for music scholarships, it never really crossed my mind. But if I do, it’ll be in the spring,” Kyle York, music major, said.
Students, such as York, may also experience some barriers when applying for scholarships.
“The letter of recommendation from a teacher is what kills me,” York said. “I don’t really feel like I know a teacher well enough to ask for one.”
In addition to the requirements of the fine arts scholarships, the student must also get a recommendation from a teacher in that area of study. Either the student must ask the teacher, or a teacher recommends a student for scholarship.
“I plan to apply for music scholarships,” Celecia Johnson, music major, said. “I’d love to get that kind of help from the school.”
Johnson has been attending EC and has joined the music theory program. She plans to transfer to UCLA and join the musical arts program there.
For students of music, the Dr. Robert Haag Music Scholarship awards one recipient $1,000 per year. The student must have a GPA of 3.0 or better and their area of study must be music (education). The student must then enroll at a university the following year.
“Students can start applying for scholarships Nov. 1 to Feb. 27,” Kamahele said. “All our applications are done online now at MyECC. It’s located at www.elcamino.edu.” Students who wish to inquire more about applying for scholarships can go into the scholarship office, located in the Administration Building Room 119. There, students can pick up a User Guide for online scholarship applications, or they can talk to a representative from the scholarships division office such as Kamahele.
Interested students can can call the Scholarship Office at 310-532-3670 ext.6541.
“I’d really recommend that everyone apply for scholarships. It is pretty easy to do so,” Kamahele said.
Each scholarship, institutional or non-institutional, has its own set of criteria and eligibility. Students should check which scholarships work for them.
Institutional scholarships are EC’s own internal scholarship program, whereas non-institutional are scholarships from an off-campus donor.
“Maybe looking into this scholarship program is a good idea. I mean, if its that easy to apply for, there really isn’t a reason for me not to apply,” York said.
Students can also visit the Scholarship office in Room 119 to talk to someone about scholarships. Office hours are Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. then from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
