The Vista Scholarship enables a rural student to pursue his college dreams
With the other scholarships I applied for, you just receive the money, but the McConnell Foundation goes the extra mile.
When Jason Bonjour was growing up, he lived in a log cabin in the woods outside of rural Fall River Mills. A childhood spent playing in the woods gave rise to his lifelong passion for wildlife, a passion he now has received a scholarship to pursue at Shasta College.
As one of the first recipients of the Vista Scholarship, his original plan was to attend Shasta College for a year to earn a certificate in diesel technology. With the encouragement of family members, and after meeting with a Shasta College counselor, he decided to change course and pursue a two-year degree in natural resources with the goal of becoming a game warden. Part of exploring a change in major included meeting with Whiskeytown Superintendent Jim Milestone, who showed him around the park and talked to him about careers involving natural resources.
While attending Shasta College and working 24 hours a week keeps Jason busy, it's a schedule he is used to. During high school, all of his time was taken up with playing football, working 30 hours a week, doing volunteer work, and keeping his grades up. Now he's excited to be in college and thrilled to have received the Vista Scholarship.
Jason heard about the scholarship from one of his teachers, who also nominated him. He found the process of applying very easy, and would recommend it to anyone considering it. "It's the best scholarship you can apply for. They (the Foundation) help you out in any way possible. Dave is one of the nicest, most helpful guys ever. With the other scholarships I applied for, you just receive the money, but the McConnell Foundation goes the extra mile."