Two students in the Columbus Technical College Radiologic Technology program cried tears of joy Monday when their names were called as the latest winners of the Aranas Scholarship. The $550 per semester that is being disbursed through the Columbus Technical College Foundation means the world to Brittany McCain of Fort Mitchell and Hailey Rosenblum of Columbus. In order to qualify, students must be in good academic standing and submit an application packet that includes an essay explaining why the scholarship is important to them.

Army spouse and mother of two biological children and foster mom to two more, Brittany McCain, is facing some serious financial and emotional challenges these days and the timing for this scholarship couldn’t be better. Her husband is the sole provider for their family and has been told that as of April 1, he will be relieved of duty because of Army downsizing. Even though the family has been under a strict budget and saving for years, it’s tough to lose a steady income. McCain is receiving financial aid but was forced to take out a loan to pay for books and other required program-related expenses.

“The amount of money that I would receive from this scholarship would be enough to pay our rent for two and a half months or would cover the cost of our electricity and water bill for at least eight months,” McCain wrote in her application essay. “It would ensure that my family was fed for at least five months! (sic) Something that worries me the most.”

Hailey Rosenblum is a newly single mom of two boys, aged eight and six. Her career and postsecondary education was put on hold for nearly a decade while her husband served in the military and the family went through several deployments. To make ends meet, she works as a server at a restaurant in Opelika. She says the $550 in Aranas scholarship funds will mean the difference between having to choose which utility bill to pay or what groceries to buy and being able to pay all bills more comfortably. Ever since she broke her ankle in high school playing volleyball, Rosenblum has dreamed of being a radiologic technologist.

“Going to the orthopedic specialist and seeing the radiological technologist at work and my bones on that X-ray had me hooked!”

She also wrote of how this educational pathway and career choice will benefit her family. “I am so lucky that I got accepted into the program this year and I am looking forward to making my dream come true and providing a career for myself that will be fulfilling and beneficial to myself and my sons!”