Three career/technical students at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College were awarded $1,000 per-semester scholarships for the 2009-10 school year. The students are Robert Emens of Victoria, Texas, who will attend the Jefferson Davis Campus; Jeffrey Cotten of Hattiesburg, who will attend the Perkinston Campus; and Rodrick Buford of Moss Point, who will attend the Jackson County Campus. The scholarships are funded by the Spectra Energy Foundation, Spectra Energy Corp’s vehicle for making strategic philanthropic investments that positively affect the communities where the company operates.
“We are thrilled that these outstanding students have received the scholarships,” said Dr. Joan Haynes, vice president of Instruction and Student Services at Gulf Coast. “Because companies like Spectra are willing to fund our educational programs and offer student scholarships, Gulf Coast is able to offer a quality education to prepare students for tomorrow’s opportunities.”
Buford, who had begun his studies at Gulf Coast last year in an automotive program, transferred to the Machine Tool Technology program. He plans to finish both programs by next year and receive an associate degree. “We were really worried about how I was going to get the money for school,” he said. “This scholarship covers almost all of my costs, so it was a blessing from God. I am excited about starting classes and getting that much closer to a career.” He plans to stay on the Gulf Coast after graduation and work for a local company.
Cotten, who received a degree in Graphic Design Technology in May, is returning this fall to complete the Web Design Technology program at the Perkinston Campus. “I have been doing a great deal of freelancing in graphic design. Companies that I work for always seem to want someone who can do both the graphics and Web site design. I think this degree will make me more marketable.” He hopes to finish the program this year.
Emens is a first-year student in the Electrical Technology program at the Jefferson Davis Campus. “The scholarship has made it possible for me to gain a skill that will help me obtain employment,” he said. “The instructors were instrumental in helping me find financial aid for this semester so that I could obtain an education.”
Spectra Energy Corp, a Fortune 500 company, is one of North America’s premier natural gas infrastructure companies serving three key links in the natural gas value chain: gathering and processing, transmission and storage, and distribution. For nearly a century, Spectra Energy and its predecessor companies have developed critically important pipelines and related infrastructure connecting natural gas supply sources to premium markets. Based in Houston, Texas, the company operates in the United States and Canada approximately 18,900 miles of transmission pipeline and more than 275 billion cubic feet of storage, as well as natural gas gathering and processing, natural gas liquids operations, and local distribution assets.
For more information about scholarships at Gulf Coast, contact the Financial Aid Office at the Jackson County, Jefferson Davis or Perkinston campus by calling 1-866-735-1122, or visit www.mgccc.edu.
