Thank you to all our Association members who through the years have so generously
contributed to education in our community by means of our scholarship program.
Current Program:
The Sonoma County Association of Retired Employees (SCARE) offers two $3,000 scholarships to students attending Sonoma State University (SSU) and three $1,500 scholarships to students attending Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC). The students must be full-time and SRJC students must maintain a GPA of 2.5 while SSU students must have 3.0 GPA. High school students who plan to attend SRJC or SSU in the Fall may apply as long as they have the required 2.5 or 3.0 GPA. The scholarship recipient must be a child, grandchild, or spouse/domestic partner of any current Sonoma County employee or retiree who is a member of the Sonoma County Employees'Retirement Association (SCERA). These are non-repeating scholarships so student cannot get more than one at each institution. However, it is possible to get a SCARE scholarship at SRJC and then get one if they transfer to SSU.
Each college selects the students to be awarded the scholarships.
How to Apply:Students interested in the Sonoma State University SCARE Scholarship may obtain applications at the Sonoma State University Scholarship Office. For information, please call 707-664-2261, or use SSU’s web site at https://scholarships.sonoma.edu/. The application period normally opens during the month of October and closes in the middle of the following January.
Students interested in the Santa Rosa Junior College SCARE Scholarship may obtain applications at the College Scholarship and Outreach Department, Barnett Hall, Room 1284, Santa Rosa, 95401, or call 707-527-4740. The application period normally begins in January when school reopens again after the December break, and ends around March 1. The web site is https://scholarships.santarosa.edu/
Contact the schools or their web sites for current application period information.
Winners:
2010: SSU - Emilie Klein, and SRJC - Andrea Garfia
2011: SSU - Erin Reed, and SRJC - Joshua Collette
2012: SSU - Megan Foster, and SRJC - Tim Marks
2013: SSU - Danielle Lowney, and SRJC - John Aitchinson
2014: SSU - Krisa McAtee, and SRJC - Alessio Toruno
2016: SRJC - Brittany Flint
2017: SSU - Kaitlyn Vance and Devin Andrews-Lyssy
2018: SRJC - Keri Mark-Hollandsworth and Sophie Ammerman
2019: SSU - Dante Macchia and Lucia Gutierrez
2019: SRJC - Cheyenne Henley, Amy Novak-Wadley, Nicholas Alexander
2020: SSU - Sophia Ammerman and Camilia Carmona
2020: SRJC - Hayley Domer, Jaclyn Hernandez, and Lindsey Lopeman
2021: SRJC - Gabriella Gatham, Riley West, and Izel Zamora
2021: SSU - Rachel Curtis and Jessica Cahill
2022: SRJC - Brittany Boitano and Bailey Glashan
History:
The SCARE Scholarship Program began in 1985 with a $250 scholarship to a graduating high school senior. The money was used toward the student’s higher education goals. One high school a year was selected, rotating in alphabetical order. The high school scholarship counselor selected the student to receive the award. Analy High School was the first school selected. To be eligible, the student had to be a child of an employed, full-time Sonoma County employee who resided in Sonoma County and contributed to the retirement system.
In 1987, the Association voted to raise the scholarship amount to $500. The criteria were amended to add that the student could also be a child of a Sonoma County Water Agency employee who contributed to the retirement system. The residency requirement was dropped.
The SCARE Executive Board voted in 1989 to provide the $500 scholarship to a student attending Sonoma State University who met the qualifying criteria, rather than to a high school graduating senior. The selection would be made by the college scholarship committee.
The Association voted in 1997 to raise the SCARE Scholarship to Sonoma State University to $750 and to add a $500 scholarship for a student attending Santa Rosa Junior College.
In 2006, the Association voted to raise the scholarship amounts to the following: $1,500 to a Sonoma State University student and $1,000 to a Santa Rosa Junior College student who met the qualifying criteria.
In 2013, the SCARE Board voted to extend the scholarship eligibility requirement by making it available to any child or grandchild of a Sonoma County employee or retiree who is a member of SCERA. This is a non-repeating scholarship.
In September of 2017,the SCARE Board voted to increase the scholarship number and amount. Starting for the 2018/19 year, we will give two scholarships of $2,000 each to students at Sonoma State University and two scholarships of $1,500 each to students at Santa Rosa Junior College.
May 1, 2019 - The SCARE Board passed resolution approving that high school seniors now be able to apply for SCARE’S Santa Rosa J.C. and Sonoma State University scholarships. The applicant must be a child or grandchild of an employee or retiree and must have a GPA of at least 2.5 for SRJC or 3.0 for Sonoma State.
January 15, 2020 - The SCARE Board increased contribution to scholarships by increasing the SRJC scholarships to three at $1,500 each and increasing the 2 SSU scholarships to $3,000 each.
July 6, 2022 - The SCARE Board approved the following change to eligibility criteria for the SCARE scholarships. The applicant must be a child, grandchild or spouse/domestic partner of a Sonoma County employee or retiree who is a member of the Sonoma County Employees'Retirement Association (SCERA)