As of Monday, April 20, San Diego Mesa College has begun the process of distributing over $200,000 worth of emergency aid, scholarships and meal vouchers to Mesa students.

Mesa College has raised over $43,000 through its Mesa College COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund, has provided nearly $2,900 worth of meal vouchers and is distributing nearly $163,000 in scholarships to students. Additionally, Mesa has distributed laptops to over 200 students.

“None of this would be possible without the generosity of our donors – consisting of faculty, staff, alumni, community partners, and even students themselves – who continue to come forward to support our scholarships and emergency fund the ensure that our students can continue their education during this time,” stated Mesa College President Pamela Luster.

The Mesa College COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund was established within a matter of days following the stay-at-home-order, and to date, Mesa has received over $43,000 for the fund. Within 24 hours, nearly 2,000 students applied for aid, with $18,750 already distributed, assisting over 125 students. Mesa provided $2,900 worth of meal vouchers to 115 frequent users of The Stand – the College Food and Clothing Pantry.  

This past week, Mesa College announced the 2020 Annual Scholarship Awards winners, where approximately 191 scholarships worth $163,000 are being awarded. 181 Mesa students are receiving awards, 41 of whom are receiving more than one award. Due to the financial impact of COVID-19, Mesa donors approved the advanced release of scholarship awards, allowing Mesa to provide 100 scholarship checks, weeks before students would normally receive them.