By Christopher Doyle
The Citizens’ Voice
NANTICOKE, Pa. — New financial pathways are opening up for prospective paramedics at LCCC.
Luzerne County Community College announced the creation of the Olsen Family Endowment Scholarship at a ceremony at the Francis S. and Mary Gill Carrozza Health Sciences Center on Monday. The scholarship will provide annual financial aid to LCCC students working to launch their careers as paramedics.
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This new aid program was made possible by the donation of Stuart Olsen and his wife, Christina Hogrebe, the namesakes of the scholarship, to the college.
For Olsen, the scholarship program blossomed out of a personal goal. Olsen himself graduated from the LCCC paramedic program in 2024, fulfilling what he said had been a decades-long ambition. He said his donation to LCCC was a way to express gratitude to LCCC and further his mission of helping the community.
“Becoming a paramedic was a 30-year dream for me and this college helped make that happen.” Olsen said. “We got ourselves an opportunity to give back to that college, to the future students of the program to help continue to serve the community the best that we can.”
Hogrebe, who also attended the ceremony with her daughter, Cora Solvibile, said she hoped that her family’s gift could set an example for other donors. She said hard times called for people to step up where they can to support education.
“Everything is so difficult for people right now,” Hogrebe said. “And I hope potential donors will see this as an inspiration to help their local community if they’re able to.”
LCCC President John Yudichak spoke about the critical importance of the college’s paramedic program, describing the program’s graduates as “a vital lifeline” to their neighbors most in need.
This new scholarship funding, Yudichak added, would empower more students to pursue this heroic work.
“Many talented students dream of becoming paramedics, but the cost of tuition can be a barrier too high to overcome and their dreams are too often deferred,” Yudichak said. “Today, those tuition barriers will be overcome thanks to the generosity of Stuart Olsen and Chrstinia Hogrebe. The…Olsen Family Endowment Scholarship will not only transform the lives of our students. It will literally save lives in our community.”
The Olsen Family Endowment Scholarship will award recipients $750 per semester for three semesters, totaling $2,250 over the course of the LCCC paramedic program. Due to additional funds the Olsen family has provided, the scholarship will begin this fall, with the college not needing to wait for the endowment to begin yielding yearly funds. To be eligible, students cannot have FAFSA grants or other non-reimbursable tuition-assistance programs cover more than half of their tuition costs.
Mark Ercolani, the EMS program director for LCCC, said the financial aid was an especially important resource for students given the rigor of their studies and training. This regiment requires students to familiarize themselves with an array of skills and to serve in ambulance and hospital settings.
“One hundred percent,” Ercolani said when asked whether alleviating financial pressure would be helpful to students. “This is a good amount of money, it’s very helpful for them for books, tuition, uniforms, anything else they may need to complete the program.”
Benjamin Nicholas, a 2026 graduate of the LCCC paramedic program, echoed Ercolani’s assessment. Nicholas noted that most LCCC paramedic students this year were working multiple jobs as they navigated intense studies and all the while interest rates on student loans soared and federal student aid became more scarce. Extra support like that from the Olsen scholarship endowment, Nicholas said, can help provide students with much-needed relief and address a nationwide shortage of healthcare workers.
“This endowment is not just financial support,” Nicholas said. “It’s extra time to study without worrying if we can afford to pass up an overtime shift. It’s an opportunity to stay ahead instead of burying ourselves in debt….But perhaps most importantly, it is the opportunity for students to become better paramedics.”
The scholarship will be awarded to Pennsylvanian residents with financial need enrolled in the LCCC paramedic program. Priority will be given to students from Lackawanna and Luzerne counties, single parents, and veterans not collecting G.I. benefits.
Olsen, reflecting on the possibility the program opened up for aspirant healthcare workers, said he was grateful for the chance to expand new careers of service to others.
“It’s another culmination of another dream,” Olsen said.
The scholarship application process began earlier this month. Those interested in applying for the Olsen Family Endowment Scholarship Program are being urged to contact the LCCC Foundation at the email address foundation@luzerne.edu.
© 2026 The Citizens’ Voice (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.).
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