In honor of recognizing the achievement of the area’s alternative education students, Ancilla College is awarding their “Ancilla Alternative Achievement Award” to two students from the Crossing Educational Center who persevered to overcome hardship with extraordinary effort. Both students will begin classes in the fall.
Alaiyah Ordones of South Bend and AnnMarie Garcia of Plymouth have dedicated themselves academically to be accepted into college and pursue medical-related courses of study. Both award winners plan to pursue nursing as their area of focus. Ancilla College will invest a full-tuition scholarship valued at just over $14,000 and another scholarship valued at $10,000 for the young women to use towards earning their degrees. For many alternative education students, receiving a scholarship of this magnitude would seem unlikely and even beyond the realm of possibility. Ancilla College saw things differently.
“Anyone can take the good student from a healthy background and give them a good learning experience,” says President Ken Zirkle. “Here at Ancilla, we have special people dedicated to helping students of all backgrounds achieve their goals.” Award winner, Alaiyah Ordones, believes, “Ancilla College has given me the opportunity to change the direction of my life and I look forward to this next step in my journey.” AnnMarie Garcia shares the same sentiment about her future, “I am excited about the prospect of attending Ancilla and eventually enrolling in their nursing program. This would help me to feel that I am making a difference.”
The Crossing Educational Center exists to empower struggling students to become contributing members of their communities through academics, job-training and faith-based mentoring.
Ancilla College (www.ancilla.edu), part of The Center at Donaldson, offers 18 associate degrees and 10 athletic programs. Since 1937, the College has been a sponsored ministry of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ. It is a small, private, liberal arts school in Donaldson, Indiana. It is located two miles south of U.S. 30 on Union Road near Plymouth, Indiana.
In photos, back row from left: Crossing Community Advocate Rich Gramm, Ancilla College Humanities Division Chair Joel Thomas, Director of Student Life Scott Horch, Vice President of Development Todd Zeltwanger, The Crossing Executive Administrator Quentin Bishop. Second row from left, Christy Norman, Admissions Counselor Sarah Lawrence, Director of Nursing and Health Sciences Ann Fitzgerald, Crossing student Alaiyah Ordones, Crossing student AnnMarie Garcia, Ancilla College President Ken Zirkle.
