New NSU scholarship to benefit single parents

(Tahlequah, Okla.)-- Northeastern State University student Shannon Fincher is a single, working mother of five, who now has a chance to study and take care of her family comfortablythanks to a new scholarship available to students at NSU.

The Sandra R. Farley Shaw Endowed Scholarship is funded by Shaws sons; alumnus Greg Shaw (85) and Mike Shaw and will specifically benefit single parents seeking higher education, like Fincher.

She was the first student to receive funds from the scholarship in fall 2015.

Receiving this scholarship makes me believe I am doing the right thing, and going back to school is what I am meant to do, the psychology major said, who takes care of two sets of twins, aged 16 and 10, as well as her 3-year-old grandson.

While Fincher has a part-time job and volunteers at her church when she can, she said the scholarship money will provide a major relief for her family.

This scholarship equates to time I can spend focused on my education and on my children instead of extra hours at work to cover tuition and school costs.

Fincher said she was grateful to the Shaw brothers for their generosity, adding their mother Sandra Shaw would be honored to have this scholarship in her name.

Greg described his late mother as a working, single mom who prioritized education for her sons in spite of their strained bank account.

Our mom was born at the end of a dirt road in rural Cotton County, Oklahoma. She grew up in a farming community called Cookietown. Education was always important to her, and she made it known that it would be important to us.

Because of this, whenever the family of three moved from place to place, Sandra made it a point to live in the best school district.

She always managed to scrape together enough money to help us with extracurricular activities like music and sports. Her dream was for her two boys to go to college and we were able to achieve that dream.

Greg Shaw graduated from NSU in 1985 with a degree in journalism and is now a senior director at Microsoft, while Mike Shaw graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1996 after majoring in marketing and economics. He now works in telecommunications at Onvoy.

Sandra Shaw's perseverance as the sole breadwinner of her family paid off. Her sons became successful and she eventually managed to go to college herself.

She went on to become a public school teacher as a result of her diligent work.

We learned a lot from mom. I guess they are old-fashioned values, but we really committed ourselves to hard work to get past hardship, honesty even when its difficult, faith and humor. She was a hard worker, brutally honest and a lot of fun, Greg Shaw said.

Potential scholarship recipients must be full-time students, a single, working parent, returning for a second semester in freshman year or beyond, while maintaining a 2.5 GPA.

The Office of Student Financial Services manages the application process and the General Scholarship Committee of the university is responsible for the selection recommendation.

Even though she is no longer living, this is our way of saying thank you and recognizing her sacrifice. We hope her story might inspire students in college today who need a little extra help while studying and supporting their families, Greg Shaw said.

For Fincher, the scholarship will do just that.

For more information about the scholarship, contact the NSU Office of Student Financial Services at 918.444.3456 or email financialaid@nsuok.edu.

Published: 2016-01-14 11:09:59.897000