Cutline: Christopher and Dr. Juliana Nykolaiszyn have established the NOC Gateway Student Scholarship Fund through the NOC Foundation. Pictured (L-R): Vice President for Development & Community Relations Sheri Snyder, Vice President for Stillwater Dr. Marsh Howard, Dr. Juliana Nykolaiszyn, NOC Science instructor Christopher Storm, NOC President Diana Watkins, Director of Development and Donor Relations Candy Oller. (photo by Shiloh Martin/Northern Oklahoma College).
NOC establishes Gateway Student Scholarship Fund
The Northern Oklahoma College Foundation, Inc. acknowledges the establishment of the NOC Gateway Student Scholarship Fund.
Through the generous support of NOC science instructor Christopher Storm and his wife Dr: Juliana Nykolaiszyn, the establishment of this restricted scholarship fund will provide students an opportunity to pursue their educational goals at Northern Oklahoma College.
“A college education can provide many things, including new beginnings and experiences,” Storm said. “Juliana and I experienced many of the financial issues that many of our students face. We both were in the workforce, barely making ends meet. We decided to go back to college and, through hard work and balancing the needs of being students and workers, ultimately achieved our dreams of Juliana becoming a librarian and me becoming an educator. This would not have been possible without financial assistance.”
“By setting up this scholarship fund, we hope to do our small part in advancing lifelong learning and the career trajectory of NOC-OSU Gateway students,” he added.
“This fund was also created to serve as a readily available option for anybody to assist our great NOC students attending the Stillwater campus. All alumni, families, individuals, organizations, and businesses that want to assist these students are welcome and fully encouraged to contribute to this great cause,” he said.
NOC President Diana Watkins thanked the Storm family for their generosity and the impact of the scholarship.
“I am extremely excited about the creation of this scholarship for NOC/OSU Gateway students,” Watkins said. “The fact that it was established by a faculty member in our Physical Science Division underscores what I know to be true about our faculty and staff at NOC: they truly embrace our tagline of Life Changing. Assisting college students financially is, in fact, ‘Life Changing.’”
This scholarship, established by the Storm Family of Stillwater, Oklahoma, seeks to empower and support students who are striving to overcome financial barriers and achieve their academic goals. Geared toward the NOC/OSU Gateway Program, the Storm Family is committed to supporting NOC Stillwater students. The Storm Family’s goal is to move toward a permanently restricted endowed fund in the future.
Applications must be made through the NOC Scholarship Office. The recipient must be a non-traditional full-time or part-time NOC or Gateway student and preferably a single parent who has completed 12 academic credit hours including at least one credit hour at NOC Stillwater and have a cumulative 2.50 grade point average or higher.
Oklahoma State University students attending NOC Stillwater do not qualify.
The NOC Stillwater scholarship committee shall determine the recipient(s) with input from the Storm family. The NOC Institutional Scholarship office shall administer the award.
Those wishing to make a gift to the NOC Foundation can contact the Foundation office at 580.628.6292 or online at Give to NOC | Northern Oklahoma College or www.noc.edu/development/foundation/give-online/ .
Northern Oklahoma College, the state’s first public two-year community college, is a multi-campus, land-grant institution that provides high quality, accessible, and affordable educational opportunities and services.
NOC serves nearly 4,000 students through the home campus in Tonkawa, branch in Enid, and NOC/OSU Gateway Program in Stillwater. Of these students about 80% receive financial aid and/or scholarships. 75% of NOC students complete their degree with zero debt.
The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and offers associate degrees in three general areas: Arts, Science and Applied Science; the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs; and the Accreditation Commission for Education and Nursing.
For more information about Northern Oklahoma College or giving to the NOC Foundation, please contact the development office at (580) 628-6208 or visit the NOC website at www.noc.edu.
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