Keystone Today

The Wolf administration recently met with students and educators at Reading Area Community College (RACC) where they discussed Gov. Tom Wolf's proposed scholarship to help bring affordable college education to thousands of Pennsylvania students.

The purpose of the $200 million Nellie Bly Scholarship Program is to offer scholarships to students attending community college or PA State System of Higher Education institutions, Wolf's office reported in a release. It will prioritize those looking to become mental health counselors, school nurses, psychologists and teachers, as well as other high-demand careers.

"For far too many Pennsylvania students, aspiring to attain a postsecondary education means being anchored down by a heap of student loan debt," state Rep. Manuel Guzman said at the RACC meeting. "The Nellie Bly proposal aims to alleviate this financial burden and encourage those to pursue their dream careers, while simultaneously ensuring the vitality of Pennsylvania's workforce. This would be a win-win scenario for our students, workforce, and institutions of higher education."

As proposed, the scholarship program will be funded through the Race Horse Development Trust Fund and the American Rescue Plan Act, Wolf's office reported. The focus is to help Pennsylvania students who are working toward jobs in health care, public service and education, which are deemed the most vital needs in the state's workforce.

Those taking part in the Nellie Bly program need to continue living and working in the state for the same amount of time they received the scholarship funds, Wolf's office reported.

"The Nellie Bly Scholarship Program is of special importance to those students in Berks County, as it will help build strong, successful lives in their communities, rather than leave them struggling to pay student loan bills, often working two to three jobs to make ends meet for themselves and their families," RACC President Susan Looney said at the meeting.

State Sen. Judy Schwank said at the meeting that many students in Pennsylvania are struggling enough financially to continue pursuing higher education. This leads to them working extra jobs and neglecting extracurricular activities, or dropping out of school entirely.

"Under no circumstance should one's educational ambitions be deterred simply by the price of tuition," Schwank said. "The Nellie Bly Scholarship Program would make a big investment in Pennsylvania's students and demonstrate that we believe in our state system schools. It's truly a worthwhile investment in the commonwealth's future leaders."

The Nellie Bly proposal would make affordable education more attainable, as well as invest in Pennsylvania's workforce down the road.

"Pennsylvania students are already forced to take on outrageous amounts of debt to get a college degree," Eric Hagarty, Pennsylvania's acting secretary of education, said at the meeting. "This scholarship program will help make college a little bit more affordable for Pennsylvanians. And it will help put our entire commonwealth on the path to a better future."