Success Stories

Meet some of our deserving scholarship recipients and learn the difference your support has made in their lives.

See how Lane Community College Foundation scholarships have changed two students' lives in this video on YouTube.

A 30 Year Dream Finally Comes True

Melanie Harvey

First and foremost, I would like to to share my sincere, heartfelt gratitude to all the donors who are making it possible for students like me to realize our educational goals and dreams. Thank you!

This fall, I was awarded the Professional Women’s Network of Oregon scholarship through the Lane Foundation. This turned out to be nothing short of a miracle. I was only a few terms away from my Associate’s degree, but was nearing the point  where I had no money to live on. The scholarship made it possible for me to stay in school full-time.

I have always dreamed of a college education, but growing up that dream felt unattainable. Still, I held my dream close to my heart, secretly hoping and believing that I could do it. In 1979, I became a first generation college student without a clue as to how to navigate the unfamiliar landscape of college. After one term, financial reality hit me, and I gave up my dream of a higher education.

Since then, I have never felt completely successful or fulfilled, knowing I had failed at something that meant so much to me. I lived the next 30 years without that dream, until the day, nearly two years ago, when I stepped back into the halls of Lane Community College, with renewed hope, strength, purpose, goals and dreams.

I will graduate from Lane in June with an Associate of Arts degree. In the fall, I will transfer to the University of Oregon where I will earn a Bachelor’s degree from the Family and Human Services Program. I will then continue working towards my Master’s in Counseling with the ultimate goal of becoming an academic counselor in a community college.

Specifically, I plan to help other non-traditional students navigate the often daunting and unfamiliar landscape of higher education, as the TRiO program here at Lane has done for me. I want to help first generation college students complete their studies. I am aware of the challenges they face. I have felt their fear, their lack of confidence. I plan to help them find their path to achieve their dreams.

Receiving a Foundation scholarship has helped me hold steady on my path.

Thank you again!

Melanie Harvey

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