Glendale Community College announced that two of its students, Carissa Coane and A. S., have been selected as recipients of the 2025 Dickens Universe Community College Scholarship, a prestigious award that offers a rare academic and cultural opportunity to study at UC Santa Cruz.
The scholarship includes free admission to the week-long Dickens Universe Conference, which takes place this year from July 20 to 26 on the grounds of UC Santa Cruz. In its 45th year, the Dickens Universe is an unusual mix of intensive academic study and rowdy social gathering focused on a single novel by the Victorian master Charles Dickens. This summer, the spotlight is on one of Dickens’ less familiar works, “The Old Curiosity Shop.”
Scholarship recipients like Coane and S. will not only have their registration, housing, and meals fully covered, but will also receive a modest travel stipend and earn 5 units of transferable UC credit in British Literature.
“This opportunity is truly exceptional,” according to Dr. Jessica Groper, English faculty member at GCC and campus liaison for the program.”“The students will be participating in daily lectures and discussion groups with scholars from around the world, taking part in a rigorous undergraduate seminar, and even drafting a paper on Dickens’s work to earn their academic credit.”
But the Dickens Universe is far more than an academic exercise. “It’s also deeply social and celebratory,” explained Dr. Groper. “There’s afternoon tea, country dance lessons, communal meals, film screenings, concerts, and an end-of-conference ball. It’s all set on the lush, forested grounds of UC Santa Cruz, where it’s not unusual to share space with wild turkeys and deer.”
“What makes this scholarship unique is its intentional reach to community college students” Dr. Groper explained. Many students do not have the opportunity to attend a national conference, and it is even rarer for that experience to be tied to transferable academic credits. The current arrangement between GCC and the Dickens Universe, however, promises two spots per year at the Universe that are held open only for GCC students, and this is a rather special kind of opportunity.
“This is a fantastic addition to any student’s résumé or transfer application,” said Dr. Groper. “It shows initiative, a commitment to learning beyond the classroom, and the ability to engage with literature at a high level.”
The application process is competitive, requiring a 5 to 8 page literary essay and, ideally, mentorship from faculty. While this is the first year GCC students have received the award, the hope is that this will become a proud tradition.
For Coane and S., the week at Santa Cruz promises to be a transformative academic journey and a memorable summer experience that bridges past and present through the words of Charles Dickens, a writer whose own life story of hardship, resilience, and imagination continues to inspire.
For more information about the Dickens Universe Community College Scholarship, or to prepare for next year’s application, contact Dr. Jessica Groper at [email protected].
Gissel Nolasco can be reached at [email protected].