Scholarship workshop shows students the ‘Money’

A workshop was hosted by the UCO College of Business Student Success Center on Jan. 19-20 via Zoom to help students applying for scholarships.

The workshop, titled “College Boss: Money, Money, Money,” was led by Ebony Houston, the new coordinator of marketing and development at the College of Business.

According to Houston, this was her first time hosting the workshop. 

“‘Money, Money, Money’ informs students about the scholarship portal, how to navigate through it, what they need to know, what they need to fill out and where to go to look for scholarships that they possibly qualify for,”  Houston said. 

Jordan Scribner, director of business career and transfer student services, co-hosted the workshop. She said that her main involvement in the workshop was to market the event to students, adding it into the master calendar, as well as coordinating the logistics of events and setting up reservations and URL links. 

The workshop starts with an introduction to the UCO scholarship portal and a how-to video on completing a scholarship application using the portal. Houston also talks about the documents required for students to apply, and tips that they can use to increase their chances of getting their applications accepted. 

The workshop is about 40 minutes long, but students can come and go as they please. Houston said that the workshop was set up this way since some students might only have specific questions and do not need to stay for the entirety of the workshop once their questions have been answered. 

“Money, Money, Money” was initially planned to be hosted in a computer lab, where students can learn and apply for their scholarships at the same time, Scribner said. But after the announcement of the campus shifting to Level 2 COVID-19 operations, the workshop shifted to a virtual format. 

Although the shift to virtual affected planning of the workshop, Houston said that the shift made it easier to carry out the presentation and that she could easily set up breakout rooms.

According to Scribner, workshops from the College of Business Student Success Center are promoted through the UCO master calendar, the College of Business Student Success Center workshop page, and on their social media @ucobusiness. 

“Money, Money, Money” is hosted twice a year, usually right before the UCO scholarship portal opens. 

“Funding your education is an important part of the process for student success, and I want to make sure students are aware of those opportunities for financial aid,” Scribner said. For more information on future presentations, students can email cbsuccess@uco.edu or call 405-974-2325.