Raquel Weeks of Salisbury graduated from James M. Bennett High School in 2010 and then attended the University of Maryland Eastern Shore for two years. Financially, attending college was a burden, and she just couldn’t juggle all her responsibilities – including school – while working full time, so she dropped out.

Then, about a year ago, she decided to go back to school and found out about the Maryland Community College Promise Scholarship Program on the Wor-Wic website.

The Promise Scholarship is available to students who enroll at a Maryland community college. Eligible students can receive up to $5,000 to cover any remaining tuition and mandatory fee expenses after federal or state financial aid has been applied.

To apply for the scholarship, students must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by March 1.

Weeks was able to transfer her credits earned at UMES and enroll in the elementary education/special education Pre-K-12 transfer program at Wor-Wic.

With the Promise Scholarship, the financial burden was relieved, and Weeks says she has adapted well to online learning, which works best with her work schedule.

She is employed with the state of Maryland at a juvenile detention center. Weeks said that she chose her major because she wants to educate youth in the best way possible and she also desires a stable career path to retirement.

Weeks said she loves the instructors in her department and “my placement for the observation part of my ‘Foundations of Education’ class was a great experience.”

After graduating from Wor-Wic, Weeks plans to transfer to a four-year institution to earn her bachelor’s degree, so that she may teach locally.

“We encourage all students to apply,” said Bryan Newton, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Services at Wor-Wic.

“It is an outstanding program that can help students focus on getting their degree, vocational certification or licensure without worrying about finances,” he said.

Anyone interested in the scholarship should visit worwic.edu/Pay-For-College/Promise-Scholarship for information on eligibility and the requirements of the scholarship.