Delaware County Community College Student from Chester County Earns Full Tuition Scholarship to University of Pennsylvania
(Delaware and Chester Counties, PA - July 15, 2024)—Chloe Johnson of Paoli is going straight from community college to the Ivy League. She has been awarded a full-tuition scholarship to attend the University of Pennsylvania, where she will complete her bachelor’s degree.
Johnson earned her associate degree in Business Administration from Delaware County Community College in May 2024 while working full-time. A year and a half ago, after dedicating a decade to a culinary career, she found herself at a crossroads. “I decided to take the chance to pursue new goals and revisit shelved dreams,” she said. “DCCC provided me with a fresh start and reignited hope that the goals I am striving for are attainable.”
At first, “I was just trying to earn my associate degree, but then I realized I really wanted to go further. I told myself that if I could get a full-ride scholarship, I could continue.” That is exactly what she did. Johnson’s strong academic record resulted in an invitation to join DCCC’s Beta Psi Pi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year colleges. Earlier this year, she was named to the 2024 All-Pennsylvania Academic Team, which is sponsored by Phi Theta Kappa and the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges. The award came with an offer to attend any one of the 10 Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education universities tuition-free for two years.
Encouraged by DCCC faculty to explore all transfer scholarship opportunities available to community college students, Johnson applied to and was accepted to both the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University. This month, she was informed that she had received the University of Pennsylvania’s Bread Upon the Waters Scholarship, available to women at least 25 years of age who intend to pursue their undergraduate degree in the liberal arts through Penn’s College of Liberal and Professional Studies on a part-time basis. “I was able to transfer the maximum amount of credits, which is 50% of the degree requirements,” she said.
At Penn, Johnson plans to explore her interests in leadership, communication and nonprofit management. Inspired by her volunteer work experiences in Thailand, Cambodia, Haiti and the U.S., “I envision someday creating a nonprofit center that can be a refuge for at-risk youth, integrating traditional therapy, arts and trades to nurture holistic healing, creativity and empowerment.”
As a non-traditional student balancing full-time work and studies, “I found comfort and support within the DCCC community,” Johnson said. “DCCC gave me confidence. It was one of the first places I felt really seen, where my hard work was being recognized.”
Photo caption: DCCC student Chloe Johnson of Paoli has been awarded a full tuition scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania. Photo credit: Courtesy DCCC.
