The Oregon Coast Community College Foundation has awarded a record $136,000 in scholarships to 98 students for the 2026-2027 academic year.

The awards also came in a year of record demand –121 students applied for foundation support, the highest number ever, according to the college.

Awards span 33 named and donor-designated scholarships alongside the foundation’s general scholarship fund, supporting students across nursing, aquarium science, education, business, welding, the arts, and other majors.

Each application was reviewed and scored by a panel of volunteer judges.

“I was genuinely moved by the stories in these applications,” said Jeanette Campagna, the college’s director of advancement said in a news release announcing the awards. “These are students who have overcome homelessness, immigrated alone as teenagers, returned to school as parents, and cared for sick family members — all while pursuing degrees and certificates that will change the trajectory of their lives.”

The 2026-2027 awards also featured the debut of several new named scholarships, including awards from Annette Mulee, the Falch Family, Birgitte Ryslinge, and Kempton and Fawn Hewitt. In all, 33 named scholarships were awarded this year.

Beyond named scholarships, the OCCC Foundation awarded general scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $1,500 to an additional 34 students, the college said, ensuring that high-scoring applicants who didn’t fit the specific criteria of a named award still received meaningful recognition and support. The foundation scholarships were made possible in part by money raised at its Pearls of Wisdom event in March.