Raymond Resident Named a 2019 New Century Transfer Pathway Scholar

Marion, Ohio — Sharon Putney, a student at Marion Technical College, has been named a 2019 New Century Transfer Pathway Scholar and will receive a $2,250 scholarship.

New Century Transfer Pathway Scholars are selected based on their academic accomplishments, leadership, activities, and how they extend their intellectual talents beyond the classroom.

Over 2,000 students were nominated from more than 1,200 college campuses across the country. Only one New Century Transfer Pathway Scholar is selected from each state.

Putney, who graduated from Marysville High School and resides in Raymond, found this award validates her decision to attend MTC.

“Enrolling at Marion Tech was honestly one of the best decisions I’d made in a long time. The instructors and advisors truly care about my success,” Putney shared. I wanted to be successful as a non-traditional college student and I applied myself to my studies and immersed myself in Phi Theta Kappa, the world’s largest honor society for community colleges.”

Putney’s career was negatively impacted during the recession in 2007. She decided that if employers wanted to hire workers with a college degree, she would pursue one.

“I decided to re-evaluate my life and reinvent myself as a social worker, and I started at Marion Tech,” Putney stated. ”I wish I’d done it sooner!”

Putney has already completed her classes at MTC for her associate degree. She will graduate from MTC this May. She is currently working on her bachelor of social work degree from The Ohio State University. She plans to get her master of social work so she can enter the hospice field, to provide comfort for those who are nearing the end of life.

Putney is the chapter treasurer for the local chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, as well as the Regional Secretary and Ohio Region Central District Representative.

The program is sponsored by The Coca-Cola Foundation, the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, Phi Theta Kappa, and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).

“We congratulate Sharon for receiving this prestigious scholarship, and we are honored to partner with the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, The Coca-Cola Foundation, and the AACC to recognize her outstanding achievements,” said Phi Theta Kappa’s President and CEO Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner. “Scholarship programs like this are integral for creating opportunities for two-year college students to succeed and for putting college completion within reach.”

The New Century Transfer Pathway Scholars will be recognized at Phi Theta Kappa’s Presidents Breakfast in Orlando, Florida, on April 15 during the AACC Convention.

Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of community college students to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society is made up of more than 3.5 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 10 nations. Learn more at ptk.org.