By Krystal Moralee

For St. Clair County Community College students Morgan Allam, Courtney Green, and Camden Thaler, scholarships awarded through the SC4 Foundation mean less time worrying about how to pay for their education and more time preparing for careers that allow them to care for others.

The SC4 Foundation, established in 1963, manages more than 50 different scholarship funds and three field of interest funds for SC4 students. “The SC4 Foundation gives the community the opportunity to give back to the college and to future generations of students,” said Will Oldford, Board Chair of the SC4 Foundation.

77 individual students have received a combined 106 SC4 Foundation scholarships so far in 2026, totaling $169,770, states Jessica Flann, Program Officer for Post Secondary Success.

Thaler, a 2024 graduate of Algonac Jr./Sr. High School, is studying radiologic technology and hopes to one day work in a children’s hospital. Scholarships through the SC4-Hamzavi Foundation Endowment and SC4-Ellen Kean funds, she said, mean less stress about debt and more focus on helping future patients.

A 2024 St. Clair High School grad, Green is in her second semester of SC4’s nursing program. The SC4-Marilynn Campbell Memorial Nursing Scholarship has covered tuition and books this semester, she said, freeing up time to study instead of working extra hours to cover costs.

Allam, a 2024 graduate of St. Clair High School, has cared for her grandmother since age 13, an experience that shaped her path toward nursing and, eventually, becoming a certified registered nurse anesthetist. Scholarships including the SC4-Stephen E. and Clara B. Oldford Scholarship Endowment Fund, she said, have lifted a major financial weight as she pursues her associate degree and beyond.

Flann said scholarships remain essential even when other financial aid covers tuition, helping students manage the cost of books, supplies, and other expenses that programs like the Community College Guarantee don’t always reach. Just as important, she said, is the message they send.

“Beyond their financial impact, scholarships send a powerful message that students are valued and supported by their community,” Flann said. “They represent an investment in the whole student.”

To learn more about supporting the SC4 Foundation, contact Jackie Hanton at jackie@stclairfoundation.org .