Scholarships Aid Wellness Students

September 15, 2005

MESA, Ariz. — For Arizona State University Exercise and Wellness students, finding scholarships just got easier thanks to a grant from the ASU Foundation's Women and Philanthropy Scholarship, a donor driven program that focuses on inspiring, educating and encouraging women to effect change and make a difference through philanthropic endeavors.<separator></separator>In August, the Department of Exercise and Wellness located at the Polytechnic campus was awarded a $21,000 grant to establish the Healthy Lifestyles Scholarship. The name embodies the department's vision of becoming nationally recognized in the promotion and research of healthy lifestyles. The grant will provide seven $1,500 scholarships to qualified students for up to two years.<separator></separator>"This is the first scholarship we are making available to our undergraduate students," says Dora Ayala, Exercise and Wellness advisor. "Scholarship focus has historically been on graduate students. This new one will make an impact for our undergraduate as well as graduate students, who are typically employed as program specialists, managers and directors in settings such as worksite health promotion, clinical/medical programs, community/governmental agencies, and multipurpose centers/spas."<separator></separator>Ayala has been busy preparing the paperwork for students to take advantage of the scholarships beginning in the fall semester. Juniors, seniors and graduate students who can prove Arizona residency, have a GPA of 3.0 or greater, and provide documented financial need are eligible to apply.<separator></separator>"We hope the scholarships will provide students a way to reduce the time spent working for pay and increase the time allotted to academic pursuits," says Ayala.<separator></separator>These monies are also helpful for attracting students, adds Ayala. "Consistent scholarship funding like this is key for recruiting future students."<separator></separator>Students interested in applying for the Healthy Lifestyles Scholarship should contact Ayala at (480) 727-1932 or <a href="mailto:dora.ayala@asu.edu">dora.ayala@asu.edu</a>. Completed applications must be submitted by Sept. 30.