March 19, 2024

Work Ethic Motivates CSM Student

Work ethic

Allison Mattera knows the value of a strong work ethic. The 18-year-old Huntingtown resident is a full-time student at the College of Southern Maryland, is a member of the college’s cross-country team, and works two part-time jobs.

For this criminal justice major, working hard means she will be able to avoid debt as she pursues her education. Ms. Mattera is the eldest of two children and a first-generation college student in her family.

Scholarships help immensely, she said. Ms. Mattera received four scholarships for the 2017-18 academic year, including the Florence B. Trueman Scholarship, CSM Prince Frederick Campus Student Association Scholarship, Hempstead Family Scholarship, and the John and Mary Anne Harms Endowed Scholarship.

“I’m very lucky. I’m very thankful,” she said.

Ms. Mattera was the student speaker at the annual CSM Foundation Scholarship Reception on Oct. 27, 2017, at CSM’s La Plata Campus. The annual event serves as an opportunity for nearly 330 scholarship recipients to meet and thank the people who donate to scholarship. Mattera’s speech can be viewed online.

“Standing here on behalf of my fellow scholarship recipients is such an honor to let you know just how deeply grateful we are, for not only your confidence in us but also for your financial support and encouragement,” Ms. Mattera said in her address. “I know that for me personally, being honored with support through the Prince Frederick Campus Student Association, Florence B. Trueman, the Hempstead Family, and John and Mary Anne Harms scholarships means the difference between me going to college or not, and I can chase my career dreams knowing that there are people beyond my parents, family, and friends who have placed their trust and belief in me and my abilities to achieve my goals.

“I’m working two part-time jobs, which, coupled with these scholarships, makes it possible for me to earn my degree and be debt-free,” she said.

Nancy Hempstead, chair of the CSM Foundation, is a donor to one of the scholarships Ms. Mattera earned, the Hempstead Family Scholarship. Like Ms. Mattera, Ms. Hempstead was a speaker at the Oct. 27 reception, where Ms. Hempstead had the opportunity to tell the audience about the motivations of scholarship donors.

“Providing scholarships is not about paying for courses, it is about investing in you and hoping that you use these opportunities wisely to have a profound impact on tomorrow and on our community’s future,” Ms. Hempstead told reception attendees. “Investing today. Transforming tomorrow.”

To save money and to get a jump-start on college, Ms. Mattera enrolled in CSM courses while still a high school student at Huntingtown High School. She took English 1010 and Algebra 3 as well as a College Level Examination Program (CLEP) test to earn credit. She graduated high school as a straight-A student in spring 2017 with 15 college credits already finished.

“I worked extremely hard in high school,” she said. “I looked to take the smartest path into college.”

Ms. Mattera’s goal is to be a criminal investigator. “It’s just something about making things right,” she said. “They’re doing like this hero job.”

For more about CSM scholarships at CSM, visit the CSM Foundation’s website.

For information on dual enrollment programs for high school students, visit CSM’s dual enrollment website.

For more about the College of Southern Maryland, visit its Leader member page.

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