Marine Corps Spouse Receives a Full-Tuition Online Degree Scholarship from Ashworth College

Online, June 2, 2010 (Newswire.com) - NORCROSS, Georgia - Ashworth College announced that Charice Tellez, Escondido, CA, is the recipient of a full-tuition scholarship to pursue her online degree. Tellez's essay, where she shared her personal story and aspiration to attain a higher education to improve her life, was selected from the close to 300,000 applicants applying for an eLearners.com Career Stimulus Package Scholarship.

Tellez, who is a Marine Corps Spouse and mother of two daughters, views online education as a perfect opportunity to make a better life and brighter future for her family. With her scholarship, she plans to pursue a Professional Gourmet Cooking and Catering Program at Ashworth College (http://www.ashworthcollege.edu).

"Due to our frequent moves on Military terms, I've taken on the best jobs I could find and have attended several colleges," said Tellez, who has served as a military spouse for the past 15 years. "Over the years, I always maintained my dream of becoming a pastry chef and owning my own pastry/coffee house. I even have a name picked out for it, which is a mixture of my daughters' names Savannah and Ellah -- "Vannellah Beanz".

Tellez went on to explain that setting aside the necessary funds to pursue her dream has been a challenge. "Until receiving this scholarship to Ashworth College, the cost to receive culinary training hasn't seemed feasible," she said. "Although I am skilled and educated in other areas, I don't feel I'm working within my passion. I feel I would be a better example for my children by demonstrating that you can do what you love and still get paid for it."

"My five year old enjoys cooking and the bond we share when we work in the kitchen together is priceless. You can reach people on a different level through their taste buds and that is a satisfaction unlike any other. Being able to work in a field I'm passionate about will make me a better mother, wife and person all around because I will have the true happiness and fulfillment in all areas of my life."

The Career Stimulus Package $4 million scholarship campaign was designed to highlight the need for financial aid and promote awareness and interest in online higher education. It also helped give people the confidence they need to pursue a degree and the career they want, even in this tough economy. The Career Stimulus Package campaign received about 100,000 applications a month from adults who expressed interest in returning to school. To apply for a scholarship, applicants had to explain why they want to go back to school, what they hope to accomplish, how online education would help them accomplish those goals, and their personal stories of triumph over adversity.

"Participating in the Career Stimulus Package Scholarship Campaign has been a positive experience for Ashworth College," said F. Milton Miller, Ed.D. and Ashworth Vice President, Education. "It's a great opportunity, through education, to help deserving, hard-working adults make a positive impact in their lives."

"With the current economic climate, it is essential to have the greatest competitive advantage possible," Miller added. "Having a college degree or advanced training can set an employee or job seeker apart -- demonstrating business knowledge to peers, potential customers and current or future employers."

In addition to the scholarship for Tellez, Ashworth College granted an additional 29 scholarships. In total, the Career Stimulus Package campaign awarded more than 100 full-tuition scholarships to deserving adults, with the help of eight accredited online schools.

"Thanks to the incredible generosity of our partner schools, adults are able to go back to school without having to worry about how they are going to fund their education," said Terrence Thomas, Executive Vice President of Marketing for eLearners.com. "Adults are often a forgotten population when it comes to financial aid. We hear from people over and over that they want to go back to school, but can't afford it. This campaign helped eliminate one huge roadblock for these individuals."

The Career Stimulus Package campaign also included a nationwide RV tour which offered free career coaching. Nearly 1,000 people took part in the career coaching, which led to the creation of a free book of wisdom based on the most common questions asked from the road. That book can be found at http://www.careerstimulus.com.