Contributed photo Rallying on the steps of the Statehouse, NETC students and Student Support Services Coordinator Darin Coleman join the effort to show legislators how much Lottery Tuition Assistance has helped them to pursue their educational goals.

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Students and staff from Northeastern Technical College recently joined hundreds of other students from the South Carolina Technical College system at the State House in Columbia to show support and appreciation of the Lottery Tuition Assistance (LTA) program.

Since 2002, nearly 400,000 technical college students have received financial aid through the LTA. Each year, about 40,000 of those students get partial or full assistance through the program.

Sen. Vincent Sheheen and Rep. Phil Owens spoke at the event along with Teresa Thompson-Isley, a student at York Technical College, who has benefited from LTA.

“We all have hopes, dreams, intelligence, and the drive. And with the help of the LTA, we have the financial support to reach all of our goals and dreams because we know that education is the key to success,” Thompson-Isley said.

NETC students who attended the rally and showed their appreciation for LTA funds were Lora Crowley of Patrick, Linda Breeden of Bennettsville, Charlotte Berger of Hartsville, Christopher Dixon of Cheraw, Jahres Gordon of Cheraw and Richard Bowles of Cheraw. Also attending the rally from NETC were Dean of Student Services Leron Peterkin and Student Support Services Coordinator Darin Coleman.

One in three technical college students relies on Lottery Tuition Assistance in order to afford higher education.

The Lottery Tuition Assistance program was created by the General Assembly in 2002 for public two-year institutions. Unlike merit-based lottery-funded aid, award amounts are not guaranteed from semester to semester, and fluctuate based on lottery collections and student demand.

To learn more about how the LTA program can fund your college education, visit the Financial Aid page on NETC’s website, www.netc.edu.