Graduate students receive scholarships from JCERT
Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021 | Written by Megan Gould
OLATHE — Three graduate students at Kansas State University's Olathe campus are being awarded scholarships for the spring 2021 academic semester. These scholarships are made possible by the Johnson County Education Research Triangle, or JCERT.
This semester's scholarship recipients are Taylor Cossairt in the professional science master in applied biosciences program, and Eric Wyatt and Yeqi Zhao, both in the master's of horticulture with an emphasis in urban food systems program.
Each $4,000 scholarship is awarded once to a qualifying student and is designed to last for the duration of their program of study.
The JCERT scholarships are funded through the commitment of Johnson County residents, who approved part of a one-eighth sales tax in 2008. The funding supports part of the campus' operations and provides scholarships for graduate students at the Olathe campus.
The scholarships open new doors and relieve financial burden and worry, say past recipients.
"I am able to reach my educational goals without the worry of finances due to the scholarship I received," said Michaela Willmore, a fall 2020 JCERT scholarship recipient. "I have been able to focus more on school because I do not have to work as much in order to survive. Because I did not have to work many hours on a job, I was able to spend time going to graduate school meetings, webinars and learn about many more opportunities."
Willmore shares the impact the scholarship makes on her life.
"I would not have been able to increase my professional network without the extra time I had," she said. "I feel recognized for the hard work I am doing which reinforces my personal achievements. I truly appreciate the award."
The next round of scholarships will be for the fall 2021 academic semester. Students in JCERT mission-related programs who live in Johnson County can apply for these scholarships any time before July 1.
More information about the JCERT scholarships — including an application form — can be found at olathe.k-state.edu/scholarships.