Alumnus establishes scholarship for AWC students transferring to ASU
July 10, 2024Yuma, AZ (July 10, 2024) – Ken Hollin, the first African American student body president of Arizona Western College, has established a scholarship for AWC students transferring to Arizona State University.
Hollin, a Yuma native, attended AWC from 1966 to 1968. He was the first African American student body president of any college or university in the state of Arizona at the time. After graduating from AWC, he transferred to ASU and earned a bachelor’s degree in Education.
In 1982, Hollin began working for the Educational Opportunity Center, a federally funded program administered by ASU, where he assisted low-income, minority, and first-generation college bound students. He later became a counselor with the ASU Minority Recruitment Office, which merged into ASU Undergraduate Admissions. In 2012, he became an academic advisor at Barrett, The Honors College at ASU.
He assisted in the establishment of the Maroon and Gold Scholarship and was involved with the administration of Early Outreach and FOCUS programs for over 3,500 annual visitors from elementary and high schools.
Altogether, Hollin served students at ASU for 41 years before retiring in May.
“Both of my parents stressed the importance of a college education to myself and my two older siblings beginning at a very young age. We understood what was expected of us, and we set our goals accordingly,” Hollin said.
“When I transferred from AWC to ASU, there were not too many scholarships available for transfer students. This remained the case during my professional career as a recruiter for ASU. I wanted to establish this scholarship to provide financial assistance for students from my hometown and alma mater.”
It is planned for the Ken Hollin Scholarship to be endowed and accept applications from students this fall.
Contact:
Mandy Heil
Associate Dean of Marketing & Communications
Arizona Western College
Mandy.Heil@azwestern.edu
928-314-9594
Contact:
Nicole Greason
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University
Nicole.Greason@asu.edu
480-965-8415