What began as a job to help pay for college and meet new people turned into a bigger reward than sophomore Carissa Deeds could have imagined.
On April 30, Deeds was awarded the first Libraries Student Assistant Scholarship.
The scholarship was created for students in good standing with the university who demonstrate financial need and hold a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher. Scholarship preference was given to student library assistants. Deeds has been employed by the Libraries’ serials department since 2012.
Deeds can apply the $1,000 scholarship to books, tuition or fees in the 2014-15 school year. With the cost of higher education, Deeds said every bit of help makes a difference.
“This is going to be a huge help financially,” she said. “Because I am working on both a major in early education and a minor in sign language in four years, I am taking way over the credit limit. It’s a lot moneywise, but this scholarship will help me continue to pay for college and graduate on time.”
In the essay that secured her scholarship, Deeds wrote about how working at the library helped her meet new people and made the transition from high school to college smoother.
“This job helps me to pay for my education, but it has also made it easier to meet new friends,” Deeds said. “I love it here and am so excited to win the scholarship. This is a big honor for me, and I’m very humbled by it.”
Originally from Massillon, Ohio, Deeds is the daughter of Dee and Roger Deeds, also from Massillon.
The Libraries Student Assistant Scholarship is an endowed scholarship created by University Libraries. The endowment was funded by donations from the Friends of University Libraries. The initial endowment of $25,000 allows Libraries to award one, $1,000 scholarship per year. For more information about supporting the Libraries Student Assistant Scholarship, contact Karen Hillman at 330-672-1886.
For more information about Kent State Universities Libraries, visit www.kent.edu/library.
# # #
Photo Caption:
James Bracken, dean of Kent State Universities Libraries, stands with sophomore Carissa Deeds, the first recipient of the Libraries Student Assistant Scholarship.
Media Contacts:
Karen Hillman, khillma1@kent.edu, 330-672-1886
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595