Jan. 14, 2019
Marybelle Perez, Wharton County Junior College’s Director of Grant Writing, will help oversee a $500,000 grant that will be utilized for enrollment recovery, outreach efforts and financial assistance for students impacted by Hurricane Harvey.
WHARTON, TEXAS – A federal grant will enable Wharton County Junior College to provide special assistance to students impacted by Hurricane Harvey.
The $500,000 grant – issued through the U.S. Department of Education’s “Emergency Assistance to Institutions of Higher Education” program – will be utilized for enrollment recovery, outreach efforts and financial assistance for students affected by the 2017 storm. Approximately 100 WCJC students were made homeless or are at risk of becoming homeless due to flood damage. In the city of Wharton – where WCJC’s main campus is located – 169 businesses were negatively impacted by the storm.
Marybelle Perez, WCJC’s Director of Grant Writing, said the college will utilize the funding to help students enroll in the college and pursue a career path.
“We will support them all the way through the educational process here at WCJC,” Perez said.
That support will include everything from enrollment assistance to help navigating the financial aid process. Although the program is based out of the STEM center on the Wharton campus, services will also be provided on-site to students at the campuses in Bay City, Richmond and Sugar Land. Two full-time Student Success Enrollment Assistants have been hired to work directly with students and to travel to these other locations.
Plans are to further work with high school counselors and administrators in the college’s service area to ensure that all hurricane victims are aware of the opportunities offered by WCJC.
“We will go out into these districts to work directly with the students impacted by the disaster,” Perez said.
Perez noted that the specific scope of the assistance offered to the students will vary according to need. Not all will require the same level of help.
“Each case is an individual case and we will do what is best for the student,” she said.
Additional information is available by visiting the following webpage: https://wcjctriosss_946a.gr8.com/
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