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Adopt-a-Scholar and help your community!

There is a talent gap that exists in our local workforces - you can help!  Between now and November 15th we want to fund ten additional students next school year.  Your donation when combined with others, and matched with Questa funds can fill this gap.  Through our partnerships we have graduated over 500 individuals who received help with our support.  For our communities to continue to grow, the economy is dependent upon the talent of our workers - both in their current workplace and being brought into new careers.  Adopt-a-Scholar Now!

Sponsor a Student!
Our scholars need financial support to fill a gap and it makes a huge difference - the ability to go to their school of choice - the ability to study in the field of their choosing - or even the ability to go at all.  

Any donation you make can BE this difference! 


Adopt-a-Scholar now!

Donate now!

Businesses!

There are employers who understand that the way to address the talent gap is to invest in people so that they can get the appropriate education to be the talent of the future.  Many of you may have already benefited by hiring Questa graduates. Others still may have talent needs: HVAC, carpentry, welding, engineering, sales, actuaries, and so much more! Together we can educate and fill the talent gap of the future. 

Donate now!

Partner Now!

Be Like Parkview!
Parkview realizes they have talent in their own workforce.  Their employees who work hard, show up, and have the desire to pursue further higher education have a fantastic opportunity with the collaboration that combines Parkview's tuition assistance and Questa's live/work loan forgiveness. Do you have great workers who with a little more education will be the talent you are looking to find?  Invest in them now!

Invest now!

Sites Scholarship Recipients

Allen County Questa Scholars Receive Scholarships for Academic Achievement

Questa Education Foundation recently awarded $86,000 through the Venette M and Mabel M Sites Scholarship to 65 Questa scholars who are graduates of Allen County public high schools.  These scholars received individual awards for excellence in their college academic performance by maintaining a 3.0 – 4.0 GPA during the 2016-2017 post-secondary school year.  We are proud to announce the following students and acknowledge the high school from which they graduated.

Carroll:  Ashley Felger, Brayten Carpenter, Mackenzie Petre, Sydney Ulrey, Connor Burgess, Anthony Ohneck, Logan Jester, Miguel Stone, Kelsiey Cicora, Madison Peterson, Caleb DeLieto, Alexandra Harvey 

East Allen University:   Ashley Osborn, Nicole Winans

Heritage:  Rachel Witte, Branson Dossen, Chase Myers, Kimberlie Kline

Homestead:  Sabrina Medert, Ellie Gaskill, Felicia Wehrle, Rebekah Zvers, Sarah Moloney, Courtney McGrew, Scott Creech

Leo:  Nicole Thompson, Rebecca Kimball, Jordan Eldridge, Hannah Fowerbaugh, Rebecca Lessig, Morgan Sanderson, Ian Thompson

New Haven:  Angel Windom, Adam Hoffer, Zachary Watson, Matthew Mensing

Northrop:  Michael Mast, Mackenzie Lawson, Joshua Mahon, Jailyn Krantz, Juan Gonzalez-Rangel

North Side:  Jessica Moeller, Julianna Davis, Kaelly Collins, Logan Ankney, Soe San

R. Nelson Snider:  Kaitelyn Vachon, Hannah Cook, Miranda Vance, Samuel Stratton, Mariah Thomas, Jennifer Peppler, Heidi Schneemann, Miranda Walls, Maria Barrera, Rylee Marks

South Side:  Kathryn Bixby, Katherine Sheppard, Kendra Shadle

Wayne:  Jillian Findlay, Kyle Pessefall

Wayne New Tech:  Sara Livengood

Woodlan:  Joachima Hoot, Tori Bontrager, Alyssa Garver, Rebekah Dignal, Loren Hahn, Paige Stutzman

The Sites scholarship plus the Questa Scholars Program is assisting college students in completing post-secondary education, graduating with less debt and retention of talent in northeast Indiana.  Please visit our website at www.questafoundation.org for program and scholarship information.  ###

Board of Directors Changes for 2017-2018

Questa Education Foundation is proud to announce Board Officers and new board members for 2017-2018:

Board Officers:

Raylene Rospond             Chair                      Vice President, Manchester University

Gary Adkins                      Vice-Chair             President, Parkview Noble Hospital

Cynthia Wirtner                Treasurer              Partner, Leonard J. Andorfer & Co.

James Koday, JD               Secretary             Partner, Barrett & McNagny

New Board Members:

Jason Callahan                                                  Superintendent, Wabash City Schools

Allyn P. Decker                                                  Campus President, Ivy Tech Community College

Dr. Kim Barnett-Johnson                                   Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs, Ivy Tech CC

Todd Jones                                                         Vice President, Sr. Acct. Exec., STAR Ins. Agency

Marcia McNagny, JD                                           Partner, Myers, Hockemeyer & McNagny, LLP

Emily Pichon                                                       Director & Secretary Treasurer, Cole Foundation

Steven R. Smith                                                  Asst. Vice President, Brotherhood Mutual Ins. Co.

Daniel Solms                                                      Vice Pres. Enrollment & Mktg, Huntington Univ.

Questa Education serves eleven counties in Northeast Indiana providing low-interest forgivable loans to individuals pursuing an education beyond high school.  It is our goal to increase access to post-secondary education, increased completion, reduced debt and retention of talent in our region.  Our scholars today are the future of our 21st century economy.  For more information please visit our website at www.questafoundation.org.  ###

Editorial from Marc Levy, Executive Director

JGOPINION (/OPINION)
Sunday, August 20, 2017 1 :00 am
EDITORIAL

School loan forgiveness helps build, retain talent

Gov. Eric Holcomb's Next Level Jobs initiative is a worthy effort to meet the demand for employees in certain sectors.  Unlike many job programs in recent years, the initiative isn't a scattershot effort to plug unemployed Hoosiers into any job. This one rightly focuses on high-wage jobs in health, advanced manufacturing, construction, information technology and more.

If the governor wants to move to the next level, however, he should look to emulate Questa Education Foundation's work as a way to build the talent pipeline. Questa's unique loan forgiveness programs show impressive results in encouraging students to graduate on time, with much-reduced debt and with a strong incentive to remain in Indiana after graduation. The programs support both traditional college students and adults seeking college degrees or
industry certifications.

The state could benefit by investing student aid or workforce development dollars in similar programs. After seven years, Questa boasts a nearly 80 percent on-time graduation rate for participants at four-year colleges, compared with a statewide on-time rate of 51.2 percent. Ninety percent of Questa Scholars graduated in five years. And in stark contrast to the brain-drain effect plaguing much of the state, two-thirds of the graduates have remained in northeast Indiana.

Marc Levy, Questa's executive director, credits the structure of the program, which provides loans of up to $5,000 a year to qualified students, with the right balance of support, personal responsibility and incentive. For the Questa Scholars program, graduates who make loan payments on time and remain in one of 11 northeast Indiana counties for five years after graduation will have half of their loan forgiven. Scholars from regional partner schools are eligible for another 25 percent loan reduction after five years.

But the financial assistance isn't a grant - it's a loan that must be repaid, at least in part.

"Our program satisfies Hoosier values in that it requires some skin in the game," Levy said.
His current push is to convince more businesses to become Questa partners and support loan forgiveness programs targeted to their own needs. Fort Wayne-based Brooks Construction supports a loan program for a traditional student to pursue a degree in civil engineering at a Questa partner school. A similar program could help a manufacturing employee, for example, return to college to finish a degree program and move into management.

"It's a triple win," Levy said of an employers' investment. "An individual gets a better job, the employer gets to retain the talent, and the community gets a more thriving economy with a better-paid employee and taxpayer."

The Workforce Ready Grants announced by the governor last week - worth $20 million over the next two years - are likely to be effective in meeting short-term employer needs. But rather than creating more grant-funded job-training programs, Holcomb and other policymakers can help Hoosiers long term by investing in programs that have proven themselves at the community level - programs like Questa.

Copyright© 2017 www.journalgazette.net
600 W. Main Street
Fort Wayne IN 46802
 

ROY SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS 2017

Marc R. Levy, Executive Director

Questa Foundation for Education

mlevy@questafoundation.org

260-407-6494

QUESTA EDUCATION FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES VIRGIL J & MILDRED C ROY SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

Fort Wayne, IN, – Questa Education Foundation is proud to announce the 2017 - 2018 recipients of the Roy scholarship.  This award is designated for nursing students who are pursuing a bachelors’ degree in nursing at either IPFW or University of Saint Francis. The scholarship dollars help to support our local students by reducing their education costs.  Questa congratulates the following scholars:

University of Saint Francis:

Clayton Clifford

Samantha Hill

Jasmyn Kalsto

Katelyn Kline

Jessica Moeller

Katlin Robinson

Kaley Rosswurm

Madeline Schwartz

Mercedez Sharp

Felicia Wehrle

Elyssa Wyatt

McKenzy Yates

IPFW:

Aubrey Brinneman

Jonathan Giesige

Amanda Holland

Mary Fortman

Sharon Strange

Questa Education Foundation is a local non-profit serving Northeast Indiana and is dedicated to increasing access to education beyond high school, completion with reduced debt and retention of talent.  Questa Education Foundation administers the Virgil J. & Mildred C. Roy scholarship in addition to providing low interest, forgivable loans to college students through the Questa Scholars program.  Visit Questa’s website at www.questafoundation.org for program and scholarship information or call us at 260-407-6494.

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