The Pierre Economic Development Corporation has renewed its commitment for a second year to provide scholarship support for students taking the Learn & Earn program through Capital City Campus.
Members of PEDCO’s board approved offering $500 scholarships to the first 12 students who enroll in Dakota Wesleyan University’s Pierre-based program for August 2022.
PEDCO board chairman Andy Hubbart says they are always looking for ways to assist companies who need qualified employees. He says students who complete the Learn & Earn program will be ready for a professional level job.
DWU vice president of admissions and marketing Fredel Thomas says they know cost is always a concern for students and their families. PEDCO’s members understand the value of investing in scholarship support that can have a direct impact on the Pierre region’s workforce shortage.
The program, which began in August 2021, currently has eight students participating.
One student, Brenda Velazquez-Padilla, has a unique story which was shared by Thomas with members of the PEDCO board. Velazquez-Padilla is a student who emigrated to the US five years ago. Her journey to Pierre was made possible through family connections. Upon her arrival in South Dakota, she enrolled in high school at age 16, but it was necessary for her to complete all four years in order to learn the English language with enough proficiency to graduate.
After graduation, Velazquez-Padilla enrolled in online classes through a state university. She did not feel that was a good fit for her. Progress felt slow and the online format was not suited to her learning style. Last summer, she made a connection with her former ESL teacher at Riggs High School who told her about Learn & Earn and accompanied her to an information event. Her teacher thought the flexibility of the program, the internship opportunity and the affordability of the program was a perfect fit for Velazquez-Padilla who wanted to stay in Pierre to complete her education.
Today she is a thriving student and employee just six months into the program. She is working at an internship at the South Dakota Bureau of Information and Telecommunications (BIT) and as a server at her family’s restaurant, Guadalajara. Velazquez-Padilla plans to finish the program in August and obtain a full-time job at BIT or another state agency. Her future holds more possibility than she could have imagined. She credits DWU’s uniquely structured program with helping her to obtain her education. “It’s a great program to get experience. Being in a program with a paid internship helps me pay for school. [Learn & Earn] will help you find what you want.”
For more information about the program or to apply, visit www.dwu.edu/learnandearn. Information is available for students, business partners and coaches.
Image credit DWU Learn & Earn website screenshot.
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