July 28, 2003 – Letitia G. Gittens, a former St. Croix resident and native born Crucian, has received a National Business and Professional Women Career Advancement Scholarship through the Business and Professional Women's Foundation to assist her in obtaining her master's degree. Gittens is attending the University of Tennessee, School of Information Science in Knoxville, Tenn, where she expects to earn a master's degree in Information Sciences – formerly known as Library Science.
The Business and Professional Women's Foundation established the Career Advancement Scholarship in 1969 to provide financial assistance to disadvantaged women seeking to further their education, according to the foundation's Web site.
Scholarships are provided to women who wish to advance their career, or are soon to enter or re-enter the workforce. The foundation has awarded more than $5 million dollars in scholarships, research grants, and loans since 1969, and awarded $143,000 in the 2002-2003 academic years. Recipients were determined based on criteria that included critical financial need, the Web site states.
In order to qualify for the grant, the Web site says female applicants must:
— Be 25 years of age or older and a U.S. citizen.
— Demonstrate critical need for financial assistance.
— Demonstrate clear career plans.
— Be officially accepted into a program or course of study in an accredited institution in the U.S., Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.
— Graduate within 12 to 24 months from the date of grant.
Gittens said she expects to have completed the program she is pursuing by 2004.
