Foundation Newsletter
Page 3
SCHOLARSHIP SPOTLIGHT
Meet the 1,000 th student to receive a bachelor’s degree
at Eastern Florida State College!
erick Pierre, a Foundation Scholarship recipient, was the 1,000th student to receive
D
a bachelor’s degree at EFSC. Derick received the Harmon Strieter STEM scholarship from
the EFSC Foundation while attending. At a young age, Derick’s father, who held a master’s
degree in Civil Engineering, instilled the curiosity and desire to understand how things
work. Through many transitions in his life, he found himself initially pursuing a degree in
electrical engineering at another institution, commuting back and forth to Brevard County.
He quickly learned that working full-time, being a full-time student, and a daily travel time
of two hours was taking a toll on all aspects of his everyday pursuits. He transferred to EFSC
after deciding it was a much better fit for his life and decided software development is
where he would start his career training.
Receiving a scholarship from the Foundation helped him to take the energy saved from
emphasizing on his finances and use it to plan and strengthen his study habits.
Eastern Florida State College was the perfect fit for Derick’s needs and receiving a Foundation
scholarship made the impact on his life even greater! He graduated with honors.
Upon being the 1,000th graduate, Derick said, “I am really excited to be here. At one point
I did not think I was going to graduate. So, to graduate with honors and be the 1,000th
graduate… I am really excited. It means a lot to me, my parents, and all the people who put
the effort and work into making sure I got to this position. It is special to have something
like this to honor those who have worked to get their degree.”
Derick Pierre of Palm Bay, the 1000th Bachelor’s Degree
graduate since the program began in 2013, is recognized on
stage with EFSC Trustee Moses L. Harvin Sr., on the left, and
college President Dr. Jim Richey. Pierre is looking for a job in
the software development field after earning his Computer
Information Systems Technology degree.
Foundation Scholarship Awards!
1,322
students applied for scholarships for
the Fall 19 semester. Almost 75 faculty, staff and
community members volunteered to review the
scholarship essays. The Foundation has awarded
fall scholarships and is gearing up
for the next cycle. The Spring
2020 scholarship cycle will
open on September 23,
2019 and remain open
through October
21, 2019.