When Taylor Smith graduated from high school, she made a choice to follow her passion for filmmaking, and it led her Cal State Fullerton’s Department of Cinema and Television Arts.
Supported by the Linda Giffin Citron Scholarship and the John and Jessie Maxwell Communications Scholarship, the Class of 2025 grad has produced three short films and gained hands-on experiences as an intern and associate programmer for the Newport Beach Film Festival.
“Thanks to these scholarships, I was able to pursue my passion,” said Smith. “It means a lot to me that the scholarship committees recognized my drive and skill. I’m honored by their support, and I feel inspired to follow in their footsteps and achieve my goals.”
Over the past decade, scholarships awarded to Cal State Fullerton students have increased more than 400% — from $5 million awarded in 2014 to over $21 million awarded in the 2023-24 academic year. To support students like Smith, address this increase in scholarship funding, and ensure that the application and awarding process is efficient, Cal State Fullerton opened its inaugural Scholarships Office this fall.
Located in Gordon Hall, Room 178, the office provides students with in-person and virtual advising to assist them as they submit applications, navigate the review process and receive their awards.
“This is the vision of our division, where we are empowering every student toward the future of their dreams,” said David Forgues, vice president for student affairs, at the Nov. 8 ribbon cutting ceremony. “This is also a huge step in realizing Goal 5 of our Fullerton Forward strategic plan. We are reducing barriers, bringing people together and streamlining processes.”
CSUF’s Scholarships Office focuses exclusively on scholarship awards, stipends and other funds outside of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. In fall 2024, CSUF awarded approximately $11 million in scholarships to 4,928 students.
“The goal of the Scholarships Office is to create a student-centered process that benefits students with expedient service and maximum scholarship awards,” said Jessica Barco, assistant vice president for student affairs. “With this support, students can enjoy the benefits of college and take advantage of participating in opportunities on campus without having to worry about additional out-of-pocket payments.”
Meghan Paradiso-Alva, associate director of the Scholarships Office, said that the office is also working to ease the application and awarding process for students.
Students can access a universal scholarship application for CSUF scholarships through their student portal. Heading into a new application cycle in 2025, the application has been simplified from about 80 questions to 12.
When accessing the scholarship search through their portal, students can narrow their search by keyword or college. Once students submit their application, they will automatically be matched with all the scholarships that they qualify for. The application is due on March 1 for scholarships that will be awarded in the 2025-26 academic year.
Paradiso-Alva added that the office plans to significantly reduce the scholarship lifecycle from the current 12-week process to four weeks or less. This will ensure that students receive their scholarship funds faster and allow the office to process and award more scholarships each year.
Throughout the year, students will have access to webinars on making their applications stand out and have the opportunity to receive guidance on such topics as study abroad and outside scholarships.
“We look forward to continuing to improve operational efficiency through eliminating redundant processes, simplifying approval processes, and leveraging technology to streamline the scholarships process and better serve our students,” said Paradiso-Alva.
Art Student’s Feline Design Wins $10,000 Skechers Scholarship
Scholarship Benefits Mathematics Students Studying Probability and Statistics, Actuarial Science
Amazon Scholarship Recipient Discovers the Power of Artificial Intelligence
CSUF’s Titan Hub Provides One-Stop Support Services for Students
Contact:
Taylor Arrey
tarrey@fullerton.edu
Do you have news you’d like to share with the campus?
This site is maintained by Strategic Communications.
To report problems or comments, please contact strategiccomm@fullerton.edu.
© California State University, Fullerton. All Rights Reserved.
