Officials say that more than 1,000 Osceola County students are taking advantage of Osceola Prosper, a local scholarship.

What You Need To Know

  • Osceola Prosper is a scholarship that helps pay for Valencia or Osceola Technical colleges

  • Valencia officials credit the program for greatly increasing interest in the college

  • They say there is still time for seniors in Osceola to register for the program

Osceola Prosper is a new scholarship that gives students a free ride at Valencia College or Osceola Technical College, and officials at Valencia say it’s driving students to apply who were not originally planning to attend college.

Jayden Rivera proudly walked down the stage at the Osceola Heritage Park. Rivera can’t believe he’s graduating from PATHS, which is a unique high school curriculum structured with the result of a college education in mind. 

"Freedom — just feels like, you know, I am ready to start working, and start my life basically," he told Spectrum News.

Rivera’s family was emotional in the stands while also cheering him on. Kristle De Jesus, who raised him as a single mother, said the Osceola Prosper scholarship was a godsend and is the reason her son will attend Valencia College.

“It’s hard — everything is going up with the economy, it's very hard right now," she said. "But it's just a blessing that he has it, and he was so excited when he found out. He came home and said, 'Mom, I am going to college.'"

Valencia College said it received more than 900 applications from Osceola students before the Osceola Prosper program was announced. That total is now more than 1600.

Rivera said he just wants to keep making his family proud.

“Family is a pretty big part of me," he said. "They’ve taught me. My mom’s a single mom — she taught me how to be a man, without knowing how. All I could do is appreciate that.”

Through Osceola Prosper, high school graduates can go to Valencia College to earn an associate degree, or complete one of the programs from Osceola Technical College, for free.

Officials said there’s still time for the Class of 2022 seniors to take part in Osceola Prosper. Students have until Spring 2023 to enroll part-time or full-time, and Osceola prosper will pay for their tuition and fees until they graduate.

For more info, visit the Osceola Prosper scholarship website.