Texas Border Business
Austin, TX – Southern Careers Institute (SCI) announced today that they have completed the second disbursement of CARES Act funds to students. The school received more than $3 million for need-based grants that can be used for education essentials, food, and housing. In total, 2,079 SCI students who applied were eligible and are receiving funds. The first disbursement occurred in May, with a second completed last week. A third disbursement will go out on July 17. In total, the school received $6,305,240 from the federal relief program to help students facing economic hardship and to improve online and distance learning functionality.
“Many of our students are working toward training and certifications in fields that are more essential than ever, given the pandemic,” said Nikki Englund, SCI president. “By alleviating some of the financial pressures they may be facing, this grant money gives students the freedom to focus on completing their education.”
SCI provides training in many fields that have been deemed essential, including medical, technology, trades, and business. Since March, SCI has taken a hybrid approach to instruction, offering a combination of online classes and in-person labs with strict social distancing protocols in place. The CARES Act funds have enabled students impacted by the pandemic to continue their education, despite job loss and other financial hardships.
Angel Keefer, a student at SCI’s Waco campus, is a single mom studying to be a medical assistant. “I worked at a local restaurant, so when restaurants and childcare facilities closed, it was like a big hit to the chest,” she says. “It was a huge blessing to receive this grant. It allowed me to focus on school and not worry about all of the other things, while I took care of my son.”
Jonathan Macias, a pharmacy technician student from San Antonio, has a similar story. Due to the pandemic, he lost his job and apartment. He said, “The CARES grant helped me tremendously. I was able to pay my tuition, and still save some money to put toward a new apartment. I was hopeful when I got the application email, and was super grateful to be approved for the grant.”
In addition to helping students through direct grants, CARES Act funds will be used to upgrade classrooms with technology that will allow instructors to more easily teach in the virtual space, and to purchase laptops and invest in virtual simulations to limit the number of people in the practice labs without hampering valuable hands-on training.
