Applications for a new gerontology program scholarship will open Feb. 28. 

The Aspiring Gerontologist Education scholarship was established by Anita Sharma, the chair of the gerontology program.

The scholarship is designed to help graduate students who are at risk of leaving the gerontology master’s degree program.

Sharma said it’s common for students to drop out of graduate programs because of financial hardship.  

This problem has only increased during the pandemic, according to Sharma.

The AGE scholarship will provide tuition for recipients to stay enrolled in at least one gerontology course. 

To be accepted into ULM’s graduate school, students must have a 2.6 GPA. 

The scholarship is also renewable for up to two years if the student maintains a 3.5 GPA.

“I established this scholarship as a tribute to my mother, who was a staunch advocate of higher education for women,” Sharma said. 

At an early age her mother instilled the importance of advanced education in her.

“If [my mother] had not stood up for me and fought a harsh patriarchy that clipped the dreams of young girls, I would have become a school dropout with a very bleak future,” Sharma said.