If it weren't for the Osher Reentry Scholarship, UNLV students like Jennifer Henderson might not be completing their college educations.
Available to qualified students who have a gap of five or more years in their college careers, the scholarship was endowed in December thanks to $1 million from the Bernard Osher Foundation.
Jennifer Henderson is one of more than 10,000 nontraditional students at UNLV. She balances work, family, and school with the help of a scholarship.
The number of students returning to college after a break of several years is increasing nationwide. At UNLV, more than 10,000 students are over age 24.
The scholarship is tailored for students just like Henderson. She began her college education straight from high school in 1992. She married shortly thereafter and needed to work to support her family. College studies had to be put on hold.
But in 2005, Henderson's daughter entered kindergarten. "This was the perfect opportunity for me to go back to school, too," she said.
Since receiving the Osher Reentry Scholarship last year, Henderson has only needed to work one job, as a student assistant at the Boyd School of Law. Working on campus allows her the flexibility she needs for her studies and for raising her daughter.
"None of what I'm doing would be possible without this scholarship. Receiving the Osher scholarship immediately reduced the need to work."
She hopes her double major in clinical lab sciences and anthropology will prepare her for a promising career. Clinical lab sciences has a 100 percent job placement rate for graduates. "With this degree, I'll be able to choose a position in a location that really fits my needs," Henderson said. "This will be more than a job. It will be a career.
"As I was growing up, it was instilled in me that education is essential to be successful in life," she said. "Now I think it's important to show my daughter that education is important, especially for women."
