Campus Connection

Financial Aid Office unique in scholarship awareness

When UWL students walk across campus, they often do a double-take on the “Full-Ride” Scholarship bike. And the unique ice cream carrier-looking bike can help them double up on their scholarship potential.

Joshua Bonnell, a scholarship coordinator in the UWL Financial Aid Office, says the idea for the attention-grabber originated as a result of a vintage bike donation.

“We decided to repurpose it, hoping to give the bike new life and help promote campus resources,” explains Bonnell.

 They reached out to Wyatt Bikes of Bangor, owned by UWL alum Wyatt Hrudka and known for assisting with special and quirky bicycle projects.

“After some back and forth, Wyatt knew our vision and jumped aboard this special project,” says Bonnell. That’s how the Scholarship Resource Center’s “Full-Ride” Scholarship bike was born.

When students are on campus, Bonnell tries to get the bike out on the campus mall as often as possible. With the lure of free snacks, he provides students resources about scholarship opportunities and financial aid.

While the free snacks do work, Bonnell has plans to eventually make the handouts an educational tool, too.

“At this point, we are relying on donations of freeze pops and candy to staple our scholarship information to,” he says. “Eventually, we hope to secure enough funding to have our own UWL-themed ice cream flavor in individual cups to promote specific scholarships and helpful scholarship tips to educate our students in a fun way.”

While the bike is becoming a campus mainstay, Bonnell says it may eventually appear off campus to reach others needing scholarship information.

“We know college students aren’t the only ones who can benefit from scholarship information,” he explains. “The more we can expose our community to the financial power of scholarships, the better we can assist our community members seeking a higher education.”

The bike is just one of the ways UWL financial aid counselors and peer advisors are teaching about the importance of scholarships. There’s a scholarship for every interest and hobby, notes Bonnell. To grow that awareness, the Financial Aid Office recognized, for the second time, the Maroon Tycoons this spring.

A total of 104 students were recognized for their scholarship-earning prowess — earning $10,000 or more in UWL Foundation scholarships or other private scholarships from external sources during the previous academic year.

The event demonstrates students can pay for an academic year of tuition — less than $10,000 in tuition and fees for Wisconsin and Minnesota residents — by being persistent and dedicated in applying for scholarships, says Bonnell.

In 2018-19, UWL students collectively earned nearly $4.6 million dollars in external scholarships and just over $2.8 million in institutional aid, according to UWL Institutional Research data. Bonnell and scholarship peer mentors offer support in attaining scholarships at the Scholarship Resource Center, located in the Student Union.

The Financial Aid Office helps with other financial issues as well.

 “It Make$ Cents” is a creative, innovative financial literacy program that offers unique programming on saving money and more throughout the year. The program has garnered three state awards.

The office also partners with other campus departments with an apprentice program and clothing closet. Most recently, they offered support to the UWL Student Life Office in unveiling an emergency resource webpage for students to navigate through financial hardships —  just as students are being hit by COVID-19. 

The financial help is just one reason UWL students are near the top of a national list for paying back student loans. UWL students rank No. 13 among four-year public institutions nationwide with the highest five-year repayment rates for Pell Grant recipients, according to an October 2018 study.