Berkshire Business and Professional Women Scholarship Program
BERKSHIRE BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL WOMEN LAUNCHES
2021 CAREER ADVANCEMENT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
PITTSFIELD, Mass. (May 4, 2021) – The Berkshire Business & Professional Women (BBPW) is excited to announce applications for its 2021 Career Advancement Scholarship Program, which supports the unique needs of non-traditional women students, will be accepted now through June 18.
Scholarship awards support women in Berkshire County who are currently working and also aspire to bolster their careers through continued education. Grants can be used toward tuition, books, travel, childcare or any expenses incurred for college, graduate school, vocational programs, licensing courses or other areas of professional development.
Applications can be filled out and submitted online at berkshirebpw.org. Recipients can receive awards of up to $2,500 and selections will be announced in early August. In 2020, BBPW scholarships provided $21,000 in support to 22 local women.
Hannah DeLisle-Stall, co-chair of the Scholarship Committee, said the group intentionally keeps its definition of “non-traditional student” broad to attract the widest pool of eligible applicants in the Berkshires.
“The demographic of the women we serve has changed over the years and we realize that our scholarship program needs to match that shift,” said DeLisle-Stall, who received an award in 2013. “Typically, any woman who is not going to college directly from high school will qualify, along with women who want to attend vocational school or enroll in courses for specialized professional training or licensing.”
Ivy Rodriguez Campos, who also co-chairs the Scholarship Committee, is a past BBPW scholarship recipient as well. Rodriguez Campos, a financial and administrative coordinator at Williams College, said the grant provided a significant boost while she pursued her master’s in business administration while also working full-time and raising four children.
Heather Thompson, who was awarded a scholarship in 2020, said the grant was a crucial and much welcomed resource to advance her academic pursuits.
“This generous scholarship is helping me to obtain my professional teaching license and will put me closer to achieving my master’s degree in vocational educational,” said Thompson. “Without this scholarship, it would have taken me longer to complete the necessary classes.”
DeLisle-Stall said she wants current donors of the BBPW scholarship program, as well as those interested, to know that these are grants that truly make a difference in the lives of recipients. “Every dollar allows us help more women,” she said.
For complete details on eligibility and how to apply, please visit https://berkshirebpw.org/programs/scholarship/.
To donate to the BBPW Scholarship fund, please visit http://tinyurl.com/BBPWdonate .
BBPW is a membership organization open and welcome to all women in the Berkshires. For more information, please email bbpwmembership@gmail.com or visit berkshirebpw.org for membership information.
