Biology Scholarships

Biology Scholarships

S-STEM TRAIN Scholarship

Application Deadline extended to December 22nd

The S-STEM TRAIN Scholarship program will provide scholarship assistance of up to $4,000/semester and can be renewed (through a re-application process) for up to four (4) semesters. In addition to financial assistance, this program will provide access to mentors and project or internship experiences.  Applicants must be a full-time GCC student who is pursuing a degree in the STEM field.  Additional details and a link to the online application can be found in the Biology S-STEM Train Scholarship Brochure.

 

Cindy Oplinger Memorial Scholarship

The Cindy Oplinger Memorial Scholarship is an endowment in memory of Cindy Oplinger, GCC Biology department Lab Supervisor from 1985 to 2001.

Awarded to applicants with an interest in any of the sciences whether theoretical or applied, recipients may use monies for any purpose that directly or indirectly relates to their studies at GCC. The scholarship will be based on financial need as well as the students' desire to better their education.

The amount of scholarship and the number of scholarships awarded each year will be determined based on the earnings of the scholarship's endowment. The scholarship will automatically renew for a second semester provided the student has completed a minimum of 8 credit hours with at least a 2.5 grade point average and has shown a growing interest in his/her studies. Recipients may re-apply for an additional scholarship year. 

Applicants should submit the following:

  • Online Scholarship Application form (click on "Sign In" button in the upper right corner) including the following:
    • one letter of reference that attests to your strength of character and desire to further education. The letter should come from someone other than a family member.
    • Essay on "Why I want to further my education and how this scholarship will help me to achieve this goal."
  • A resume may subsequently be requested of finalists.

See the Maricopa Foundation website for the application deadline.

 

About Cindy Oplinger

Cindy was trained as a veterinary tech but her desire to learn did not end with the achievement of that goal. During the time she worked at GCC, Cindy obtained a Bachelors Degree in Biology from NAU. Biology was only one of many disciplines that interested her. Cindy was an avid traveler and sports enthusiast. Astronomy fascinated her; she loved to photograph the moon and stars in their different configurations and any and all eclipses. In Africa, she spent an evening taking pictures of the Southern Cross and other constellations of the southern hemisphere. In recognition of her interest in astronomy, her husband, John, bought her star #RA17H31M32SD6°50' in the Ophiuchus constellation, one of her favorite gifts. She was intrigued with quarks, charmed quarks and gluons among other particles and never tired of trying to work out the physics of some phenomenon.

Cindy was quite simply a student of life -- seizing every opportunity as a learning experience. She challenged those around her to question and to grow -- whether it was the "word of the day" (complete with its original literary citation) or finding the inconsistencies on an episode of Voyager, Cindy always had us thinking. Our world is a little brighter for having known her and a little dimmer in her wake.