Students majoring in business, engineering, biology, and health sciences have the opportunity to apply for a scholarship thanks to the estate of Almond and Betty Sue Curien. The estate gave Sacramento Sate $1 million for student scholarships.

About $50,000 each year will be dispersed to students with the specified majors. The students must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 in order to be eligible to apply for the scholarship. The exact amount of money that will be awarded to applicants is unknown at this point.

Almond saw business, engineering, biology and health science as fundamental majors in life, said Rebecca Thompson, interim assistant vice president for University Development.

“He felt those were majors where someone could get straight into the workforce and initiate a good living,” she said. She said they reflected how Almond lived his own life and as a result, he wanted to make life easier for students majoring in those areas of study by donating money.

“Almond and Betty Sue really admired Sac State and felt these were the type of students they wanted to support,” Thompson said.

Sophomore business major Domenick Vaticano said he plans to apply for the scholarship.

“I am really excited that it is particularly for my major,” he said. “I hope that getting this scholarship, hopefully, will help me get through college a little bit easier,” he said.

As some majors are ineligible to apply for the scholarship, some students, like junior criminal justice major Nicole Condrashoff, sought other options.

“It is too bad that I am not a health science major,” she said. “I just need to keep on looking for scholarships that will help me next year, my senior year. I think that it is great that Sac State’s University Scholarship Committee got such a large donation,” Condrashoff said.

Through this large sum of money, Sac State is able to use the interest that it accumulates from the scholarship funds. The donation is put into an account and the interest produced from that money in the account will be used for the scholarship.

The Curiens were supporters of the Sacramento community and were always interested in the variety of students who attend Sac State. Though they were not alumni of Sac State, Sacramento had always been welcoming to them, Thompson said.

Sac State received the donation for the scholarships Nov. 6 after it was left in the Curiens’ will. Almond passed away in May 2007 and Betty Sue passed away in December 1996.

The check was brought to campus by Curiens’ family and presented to the University Scholarship Committee.

“This was a gift by a request, the donors left money in their will,” said Fran Baxter-Guigli, director of Development Operations.

The Curiens’ will was reviewed by the executor of the state before any money from the estate was given to Sac State. The executor ensures that the individual’s will is satisfied and met.

Applications won’t be available until next year, Thompson said. The donation must build up interest before given to those who apply and receive the scholarship.

Students who are interested in applying must demonstrate a need through the Free Application For Federal Student Aid. Once the need for a scholarship is verified through FAFSA, the money will be available to the student.

“We are so excited about this donation. Our job is to raise money to support students and faculty and we were so thrilled to work with the donors,” Thompson said.

Contact University Development for more information about the scholarship at (916) 278-6989.