Graduate Working on Bachelor’s Degree Thanks

to Oprah

A scholarship funded by Oprah Winfrey is helping NECC alumna Tia Franklin-Garrett of Amesbury pay for her bachelor’s degree.

Tia was awarded a $5,000 Oprah Scholarship. The television talk-show host and author recently spoke at UMass Lowell, where she matched the funds raised for the scholarships.

A 2016 graduate of Amesbury High School, Tia earned an associate degree in criminal justice and a certificate in law enforcement from NECC in December of 2018.

The 20-year-old is enrolled in UMass Lowell’s criminal justice bachelor degree program. Following graduation in 2020 she hopes to work as a court advocate or crisis intervention worker.

“Financially, this scholarship takes a huge pressure off my shoulders,” she says. “It gives me the opportunity to advance my education and go forward to reach the goals that I’ve set for myself.”