By seeking out ways to apply for local scholarships, seniors can get a head start on their college finances and tuition.
According to guidance administrative assistant Robin Johnson, Naviance is the main search engine where seniors can look for scholarship information.
“The easiest way is to go on Naviance, go under scholarships and they’re all listed there. There will be a description of them as well as an application attached to it,” Johnson said. “It will give you specific guidelines as to how to go about applying, who the contact information is for, whether it has to be mailed or emailed.”
Johnson also said scholarships are promoted through guidance counselors, presentations and daily announcements.
According to guidance department coordinator Tom Overberger, seniors should consider doing their own research about different places to apply for local scholarships.
“Everything is on Naviance that we get here at the school, and then it is just a matter of doing research and looking on the internet at different websites that you can do scholarship searches on that is easiest for you,” Overberger said.
Many students can improve their chances of getting awarded a local scholarship by getting involved in their community and joining clubs.
“Take on leadership roles and do not just sign up for a club and be a leader but not participate,” Johnson said. “Truly be a leader because you learn from it anyway, and you grow as a person, which is a huge thing in high school because it carries on over to college and into life”
Johnson said now is the time where “young people” need to really be involved in our community and to help us grow together as a whole.
According to senior Lindsey Yanacek, her involvement at the high school has made applying for a Souderton Area Education Association (SAEA) scholarship worth it.
“I have been really involved and encouraged by a lot of teachers to keep getting involved and make smart choices,” Yanacek said.
According to SAEA scholarship committee chair Chris Nenstiel, when students take their time on applying for an SAEA scholarship, it really shows through.
“You can tell when kids do the bare minimum, so if they are really interested in setting themselves apart from other candidates, sit down and thoughtfully write out your paragraph, nice, clean, neat, maybe type it,” Nenstiel said.
Nenstiel also said making it look as “professional as possible is the key” to what sets students apart from everyone else.
Many people can not live their lives to the fullest upon graduating from college due to student debt, which is why local scholarships are important to apply for.
“You want to be able to live your life and move on, as opposed to being strapped with college debt,” Overberger said.
Students interested in learning more about scholarships should stop by the college center.