Know a great student who could use a little help paying for their classes? Now’s a good time to give them one last piece of “homework” to do over Spring Break: Filling out a Clark College Foundation Scholarship application.

Each year, Clark College Foundation gives our students hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarship aid. Students don’t necessarily need to be straight-A students to qualify for scholarships: Many are designed for students who are specializing in a particular field, or who come from a particular background. The deadline for Foundation scholarship applications for the 2014-15 academic year is April 16. Students can access the application form online, but it’s important to let them know that it will take time to complete–they’ll need time to polish their application and gather the requisite letters of recommendation.

Nominations are now open for the 2014 Iris Awards. The winners will be announced in January, and the recipients will be honored at a reception and ceremony on Monday, March 13, 2014, from 5-7 p.m. in Clark’s Gaiser Student Center. Tickets will go on sale in late January.

Following in the tradition of the Southwest Washington Women of Achievement Awards, this event’s legacy began at Clark College as a photography exhibit during Women’s History Week 1985. In 2012, the Iris Awards were introduced with the same focus: celebrating the lasting and far-reaching contributions of women in Southwest Washington and beyond. As in the past, the awards will be presented in observation of International Women’s Day (March 8).

Three Iris Awards may be presented annually. One recipient may be selected in each of three areas: service in the public sector, service in the private sector, and philanthropic leadership. Anyone may submit a nomination. Additionally, more than one person can fill out a nomination form for the same nominee or provide letters of recommendation.

The awards are sponsored by Clark College, the Vancouver Business Journal, the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce and the Clark College Foundation.

Award criteria and nomination forms are available online. Nominations must be received by Friday, December 13, 2013.