Four BRTC Students Awarded Arkansas Single Parent Scholarships

The 2024 recipients of the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund gathered with their children following the awards program

Four Black River Technical College students were awarded scholarships by the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund (ASPSF) on February 3 at St. Bernard’s Auditorium in Jonesboro.

ASPSF awarded scholarships to 56 single parents pursuing associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees, and skilled-trade certificates across Northeast Arkansas.

The scholarships awarded to BRTC students included nursing student Dashawna Mason of Paragould, nursing student Deondra Victory of Jonesboro, nursing student Melissa Rodriguez of Jonesboro, and an additional student whose name was omitted for privacy reasons.

“The Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship allows me to be able to do so many things with my college journey and my children,” said Dashawna Mason, a Greene County BRTC student pursuing an associate degree in nursing. “These scholarships normally help me get gas to school, supplies, and help me get necessities for my two boys for their school. This scholarship always empowers me that even though I am a single parent, I can always achieve my dream and show my children they can, too.”

According to ASPSF’s press release, flexible scholarships of up to $1,600 from ASPSF help low-income single parents pay for the biggest financial obstacles in obtaining a degree that leads to a career with family-supporting wages. Monetary aid is paired with mentoring, financial instruction, and career coaching.

Since 1990, the nonprofit has distributed more than $35 million in scholarships across the state. In 2023 alone, the Northeast Region awarded nearly $158,900,000 in scholarships to 120 single parents, who showed their children that higher education is within reach. This investment not only strengthens communities with viable economic impact but also emboldens entire families to imagine a brighter future.

For more information about the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund, contact ASPSF Program Manager Carrie Allen at callen@aspsf.org or 870-345-4681.

ASPSF volunteer Shana Pierce presents BRTC nursing student Dashawna Mason with an ASPSF certificate

ASPSF volunteer, Shana Pierce, presents BRTC nursing student Deondra Victory of Jonesboro with her certificate  at an ASPSF awards ceremony

BRTC nursing student Melissa Rodriguez of Jonesboro, pictured with her children, receives her 2023 Spring scholarship certificate