Netspend awards 105 scholarships to recipients, enabling them to pursue continued education opportunities in tech, science, law and healthcare fields and increase earning potential
AUSTIN, Texas — August 15, 2018 — The Netspend Scholarship Program, a Netspend employee and partner-led initiative focused on helping customers improve their earning potential through continued education, today announced the 2018 class of Netspend scholarship recipients. Through the generosity of Netspend volunteers and corporate partners, the Netspend Scholarship Committee awarded 105 scholarships totaling more than $248,000 to cover partial tuition expenses for applicants pursuing certifications and degrees in programs such as, cybersecurity, agile project management, education, healthcare, criminal justice, nursing and psychology fields. Nearly 2,000 applications were submitted and reviewed this year by the Netspend Scholarship committee.
“It is a privilege for us to award scholarships to these deserving and inspiring individuals,” said Kelley Knutson, president of Netspend. “Helping enrich the lives of our customers through economic mobility is part of our core mission, and the Netspend Scholarship Program has allowed us to pursue that mission vigorously and help more than 150 Netspend customers meet their educational and, in turn, financial goals over the past two years.”
The Netspend Scholarship Program is based on Netspend’s core belief that everyone deserves an opportunity to improve their life through education, regardless of financial history or status. Every year, scholarship recipients are celebrated at Netspend’s Community Connect, an annual pay-it-forward event where Netspend employees and partners hit the streets to walk in their customers shoes and give back to their communities.
“Awarding more than 100 recipients with scholarships is by far the most we’ve ever granted in a given application cycle. I’m grateful to all of our employees and partners who have helped make the program successful,” said Whitney Pocoroba, Netspend Scholarship Director. “I look forward to supporting our new class of scholarship recipients as they continue their education journey.”
The Netspend Scholarship Committee is comprised of cross-departmental Netspend employees and four external partners. Scholarships can be used to help cover tuition costs at any U.S. university, community college or accredited trade program where a recipient is accepted. Since the Scholarship Program was established in 2016, more than 150 scholarships worth over $350,000 have been awarded.
Scholarship Success Story
Netspend customer Gretarshii Moore applied for and was awarded a scholarship in 2016. At the time, Moore was working multiple jobs to support her family. After losing her job, Gretarshii knew she needed to earn a degree to increase her earning potential and better support her family financially. Because of her perseverance, she went on to receive her MBA for Project Management at Columbia Southern University. Today, Gretarshii is a site recruiter hiring manager and has significantly increased her earning potential.
“I was a single mother of three that was stuck working dead end jobs, trying to make a living and provide for my family,” said Gretarshii. “I’m incredibly humbled and thankful for this opportunity to share my story, and I hope it encourages at least one person to keep moving forward and not give up on their education.”
To learn more about the Netspend Scholarship Program and recipient success stories, please visit www.netspend.com/scholarship.
About The Netspend Scholarship
The Netspend Scholarship Program grants tuition assistance to Netspend customers. This program was established to help customers pursue education and skill-building opportunities on their path to better financial health through increased earning potential. We provide support for customers who are looking to attend vocational or trade schools, community colleges, or university programs.
About Netspend
Netspend is the prepaid provider of choice to self-banked consumers and the brands that serve them. With a mission to empower consumers with the convenience, security and freedom to be self-banked, Netspend’s products have helped over 10 million consumers spend, budget and pay bills since 1999. Consumers can reload and find Netspend Prepaid Cards at convenient locations nationwide through Netspend’s extensive network of 130,000 reload points and more than 100,000 distributing locations and employers, including check cashers, convenience stores, grocers, pharmacies, insurance providers and tax preparers. Headquartered in Austin, Texas. For more information, please https://www.netspend.com.
Contacts:
Adam Dawes
Netspend Corporate Comms.
+1.512.682.3939
adawes@netspend.com
