Scholarship Opportunities Can Help MCC Students Pursue Dreams

Whether they are looking to attend college or needing help navigating the workforce – Middlesex Community College is in a unique position to help learners of all ages and stages in their lives achieve their goals. For the Fall 2021 semester, students in MCC’s Launch Your Business Now program have access to seven scholarships – as well as funding from the Cummings Foundation – to gain the knowledge and tools they need to start their own business from concept to launch.

Participating in the Launch Your Business Course – and having financial support in being able to do so – is a “real opportunity to go after a long time dream” for individuals who have always wanted to start or enhance their small business, according to Stacie Hargis, MCC Professor and Entrepreneurship Coordinator.

“Receiving a full scholarship provides a huge advantage to anyone interested in starting their business,” Hargis said. “Not only do students in the program gain a solid foundation to launch a business, they are also eligible to pitch for non-equity seed funding to help ramp up the business.”

A grant from the Massachusetts Workforce Retraining Initiative provides seven scholarships for students interested in participating in MCC’s Launch Your Business Now program. With the scholarship money, current students can finish their remaining requirements and new students can start their certificate. In order to be eligible for a scholarship, students must fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

With funding from the Cummings Grant, three Middlesex Launch Your Business Now students per semester are eligible to become Cummings Scholars to receive money toward one course. Part of the Cummings $25 Million Grant Program supporting Mass. nonprofits, MCC was selected to receive $100,000 over three years for the success of the Launch Your Business Now program’s support of a diverse population of students.

MCC’s Launch Your Business Now program helps entrepreneurs develop their business concept, evaluate market opportunity, test assumptions and set up systems – including accounting, marketing, sales, operations and finances – to successfully launch a business.

Throughout the certificate program, students develop their business with assistance from weekly peer-mentoring and coaching from professors. They are able to write a business plan with financial projections and then create and deliver a 10 minute pitch of their plan. Students also prepare for a presentation to give to potential investors and funders.

For student Jessica Salani – owner of BodyFuel Café – the program offered her knowledge she would not have otherwise learned. She said, “The support, education and resources were exactly what I needed to help my business take off.”

Former Launch Your Business Now student Juan Citron – who owns Barber on the Run – said about the process of starting his business, “Without this program, I don’t think I would have been as sure and secure about where I was going with all of this.”

The deadline to apply for the Launch Your Business Now scholarships is Monday, August 16, 2021. To apply, students must have a business idea that they want to launch in the next 4-12 months. For more information, visit www.launchatmcc.com or contact Hargis at hargiss@middlesex.mass.edu.

To further help students afford and continue their education, Middlesex has frozen tuition and fees for the Fall 2021 semester. MCC has also been awarded $1.5 million as part of the Federal Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). All returning and newly enrolled students are eligible to apply for this financial assistance in order to begin, return and complete their higher education goals, including toward the cost of attendance and student accounts.

Featuring flexible course formats and a variety of student support services and resources, MCC is registering now for the Fall 2021 semester. Visit www.middlesex.mass.edu or call 1-800-818-3434 to register for classes.

Discover your path at Middlesex Community College. As one of the largest, most comprehensive community colleges in Massachusetts, MCC has been a proven leader in online education for more than 20 years. We educate, engage and empower a diverse community of learners, offering more than 80 degree and certificate programs – plus hundreds of noncredit courses. Middlesex Community College: Student success starts here!