Scholarship opportunities open for seniors

Mady Vasbinder, Reporter

With the end of the year now on the horizon, most students are already gearing up for a relaxing summer of empty, work-free days.

Except for the Class of 2017 who is busily preparing to graduate.

Financing a Future

Now is the time of year when seniors are finding themselves in a full freak-out mode as they try to prepare for whatever their next step is – which, for most of them, is college. This can be scary, especially when they realize how much this next step could actually cost them, because it is a shocking amount.

The high price is exactly why now is also the time of year that high school seniors everywhere are frantically applying to any scholarship they see. And while it is nearly the end of the year, and many of those deadlines have passed, there is hardly a reason to fear, because there are plenty still accepting applications.

It is not too late for seniors to finance their futures, but whether that is through scholarships or FAFSA, sooner is better than later.

Upcoming Scholarships

Michigan Retailers Association is awarding approximately 17 scholarships to students who are children of a MRA-member business or to students who are part-time employees of an MRA business. The deadline is April 22 and the award will be up to $1,500.

There are also scholarships available through the Toledo Community Foundation. MHS students are eligible for only a select few, but the deadlines reach all of the way out into the summer.

Advantage One Credit Union has three scholarships available for up to a value of $2,500. The deadline is March 31, so there is still time to apply.

Groth & Associates, Attorneys at Law, is offering up a $1,000 scholarship to one student of any college major. The deadline is July 31, and students must have a minimum 3.0 GPA and must submit a 500-word essay about personal difficulties that they have had to overcome.

There is also a Student-View scholarship available for 13 winners of different amounts. The only requirement for this scholarship is that a short survey be filled out, and the deadline is April 22.

For further information on any of these, and an extended list of scholarships, visit the scholarships tab at http://monroepublic.cyberschool.com/MHS/.

Scholarship Tips

Many students find themselves stuck when applying to scholarships, mainly because they don’t know where to start. The best place for a senior to start when trying to finance their future is by filling out their FAFSA.

For those students who have already decided on a future school, they should be sure to make this school the first on the list on their FAFSA, because it increases their chances of receiving financial aid.

For those students who are not sure what school they want to attend next year, most schools have their own scholarships available. As students apply to different schools, they should apply to the scholarships that those schools offer, as it will increase their chances of receiving an award.

For all students, the most important thing to remember is that it is always worth the try; students should apply to as many scholarships as they qualify for, because it is likely that they will be rewarded for it.

Scholarship Winners

MHS senior Autumn Green recently won a scholarship from Central Michigan University. The scholarship was worth $8,000 each year for four years.

“I was really excited, as anyone would be,” Green said on how she felt about the scholarship.

Green applied to nearly 15 different scholarships, and said her top tip for students trying to get scholarships is to, “Take the initiative and do the essays because most people don’t want to write them, so it is important to be the person that does.”

MHS senior Phoebe Harmon also won a scholarship from Valparaiso University for $84,000.

“I was really excited that I’d get that much money,” Harmon said.

Valparaiso University is a private school, so it costs more to attend per year than most public schools, but Harmon believes that, with the scholarships they award, it is worth it.

“Don’t look at the sticker price, just apply to the scholarships they offer, and it’ll become more affordable,” Harmon said.