Augusta Technical College has invited its scholarship donors and scholarship recipients to its Second Annual Scholarship Celebration at 12 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18 in the Information Technology Center. The event will honor people who have offered generous contributions to support students through scholarships.

In the last year, the Augusta Tech Foundation was able to award 45% scholarships than the year before. Altogether, 178 students received just over $117,000. 

Most of these scholarships are provided through the Augusta Tech Foundation’s $1.9 million scholarship endowment, which is invested to generate income for scholarship awards. Others are provided through annual contributions from Augusta Tech employees, alumni and community partners. 

Several new scholarships have been created in the last year. These include a new endowed scholarship funded by Aurubis Richmond’s Women4Metals project to support women in STEM careers. Another new endowment was established this year by Augusta Tech Foundation Trustee and alumnus Peter Claus and his wife Amy Claus in celebration of their son Conor’s lifelong interest in firefighters. This scholarship is designated for the family members of firefighters and EMTs. New annual scholarships were also created by former Augusta Tech faculty member Tracy Abar in honor of her parents Mimi and Barney Kritchman to benefit students who are single parents in McDuffie County; by Plant Vogtle’s Women in Nuclear (WIN) chapter to support women in STEM careers; and by Stryten to support students who lacked the financial wherewithal to remain enrolled.

“We are extremely grateful for all of the donors who have chosen to invest in our students,” said Augusta Tech’s Vice President for Institutional Advancement Cheryl Ciucevich. “The majority of our students face serious financial hardships. They tell us that receiving these scholarships not only gives them the money to stay in school, but it provides them with an extra boost of confidence that someone else believes they can reach their goals.”

Augusta Tech nursing student Zuri Todd is one of the featured speakers at the event. An Army veteran, Army widow, and single mother, she has faced many adversities to continue her education. She will share the autobiographical speech that earned her recognition as Augusta Tech’s 2025 Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL). Next month, she will deliver this speech again at the statewide GOAL competition. Scholarship sponsor and former Augusta Tech Foundation Trustee Shelia Stuberfield also will speak, to tell the story of what inspired her and her husband to create a scholarship in the College’s business program.