On Thursday, May 7, more than 100 students lined up outside the doors of the SRWC, waiting to celebrate the Owen’s Condition for Tuition (OCFT) finale event.

The event was located in the Multi-Activity Court (MAC) where students could enjoy food; win free blender bottles by jumping on the Plyo Soft Box, climbing the inflatable rope ladders and playing human foosball. Students also received free Robeks and chair massages from Beach Balance.

Surprisingly, the OCFT program has grown immensely since its inception to over 4,000 participants this year, with 738 successful completions. Josh Owen, who serves on the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Council and CSULB Advisory Boards, was so proud of all the students who participated this year. “It’s absolutely amazing to see how many students joined and completed the program this year,” he said. “In the beginning we only started out with a couple hundred, but now there are thousands. And this is why we keep coming here, so people will stay active.”

Finance major, Derek Atwood, won this year receiving $3,226 for his fall 2015 tuition. “It only took me 10 weeks to finish the competition by coming to the gym five days a week,” he said. Atwood currently works 40 hours a week at Costco, but with this OCFT scholarship, he will now be able to work less hours and focus more on school. Atwood follows comedian Kevin Heart on Twitter and shares that his motto is –“Health is wealth.” “Working out for 6-8 hours a week is not a lot of time to dedicate to living a healthy lifestyle, but it is extremely possible.”

The OCFT is a scholarship program funded by Josh and Tessa Owen. The program has encouraged thousands of CSULB students to commit to their fitness and wellness goals since 2011. Each student who joins the program must visit the SRWC and work out for at least 30 minutes. Then on the way out of the SRWC, each student enters their student ID at the front desk to start accumulating points. However, the maximum amount of times they can punch in is five times per week. Once students have punched in 50 times, they have completed the program.

For those who missed this year’s OCFT, remember to sign up at the beginning of the fall semester. This program can be the change that you need to enter into a healthy lifestyle and help pay for your education.