The Sentinel: College Scholarship

A few things that families with college-bound students should know

If you are going to college this fall, now is a good time to have your parents teach you financial skills like budgeting and bill paying. Learn now will make life on campus away from home much easier.

JeffStateCollege/Pixabay

StatePoint - Perhaps even more nerve-wracking than waiting for your child’s college acceptance letters is learning whether they’ve been awarded financial aid. Recent changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) designed to simplify the process have led to unforeseen hiccups and technical glitches, causing academic institutions to delay sending out financial aid award letters. However, once you finally get the results, it can give your family a better idea of what to do next.

“Our research shows that for a majority of parents, figuring out how to pay for college was the ‘road to college’ activity that caused them the most stress. By making a financial plan and prioritizing it, you can be well prepared to avoid the most common bumps in the road,” explains Angela Colatriano, chief marketing officer, College Ave.

Colatriano recommends using the spring to teach your child these valuable financial skills: how to set up a budget, how to pay bills and how to manage credit. If your family will potentially be borrowing to finance college, students should also gain an understanding of how loans work, and how the different terms of the loan will affect their monthly payments and overall loan cost.

Speaking of budget, you should set a realistic budget for yourself. A recent College Ave survey found that in addition to helping pay for tuition and housing costs, parents also contribute to their child’s phone bill (65%), health insurance (61%), food and groceries (42%), cable and internet bill (35%) and transportation (32%). Be realistic about which expenses you can afford and where you want to ask your child to chip in.

Decode Award Letters

Financial aid award letters can look different for each school. Familiarize yourself with their components so that when they arrive, you’ll be ready to decipher them. Here’s what to look for:

1. Free money: The award letter will list whether your student is eligible for scholarships and grants (sometimes called Merit or Gift Aid). This is money you typically don’t need to pay back.

2. Federal Work-Study: Your child might be eligible for Federal Work-Study jobs. While jobs aren’t guaranteed, they can be a good opportunity to help cover educational expenses.

3. Student Loans: Schools will list any federal loans your child is eligible to receive. Helpful hint: They may be grouped with scholarships and grants. You should also note whether the loan is subsidized or unsubsidized. Because unsubsidized loans accrue interest while your student is enrolled and during deferment periods, this will affect the overall loan cost.

4. Other factors: Check if awards being offered are for all four years and understand what your child will need to do to continue being eligible for them, year-to-year.

To get an apples-to-apples look at the offers, calculate the net direct cost of each school by subtracting offered scholarships and grants from the cost of attendance (tuition, room, board, textbooks and fees). If applicable, you can subtract work-study aid too. You should also factor in expected increases in tuition, room, board and other fees.

Fill in the Gaps

If after doing the math, you find you have a financial gap to cover, look into private scholarships. One easy one to enter on a monthly basis is College Ave’s $1,000 Scholarship Monthly Sweepstakes.

You may also want to consider a private student loan or parent loan. Look for a lender with great rates, flexible repayment terms, and the opportunity to customize the loan to fit your budget. For example, College Ave offers student loan calculators, a pre-qualification tool that offers quick answers without affecting your credit score, and other helpful tools and resources. To learn more, visit CollegeAve.com.

“The important thing is not to panic. If you filled out the FAFSA, financial aid award letters are on the way. And once you receive them, you and your student can get to the fun part of planning for the future,” says Colatriano.

This summer is the time for high school juniors to start looking for college scholarships and grants

Photo: Kojo Kwarteng/Unsplash

StatePoint Media - More than half of American families used scholarships to pay for college last year. From merit-based to artistic-focused, there are a variety of awards available.

High school senior Grace Vaughn of Trinity, Florida, knows how to successfully secure a college scholarship. After winning the $10,000 dress grand prize in Duck brand’s Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest in 2022, Vaughn is sharing helpful tips to increase students’ odds of earning funds for college:

Research, research, research

Search databases and websites to discover award options that may be new to you. Scholarships.com, FastWeb and Bold.org are resources to help narrow down opportunities that match your interests and unique talents. Vaughn also encourages students to leverage social media, where she discovered the Stuck at Prom contest, which challenges teens to create Duck Tape prom creations for a chance to win cash scholarships.

In addition to researching national opportunities, check in with your school counselor and teachers to learn about any local or regional scholarships that are offered through the school or other nearby organizations.

Apply early and often

Federal Student Aid recommends searching for scholarships during the summer between your junior and senior year, but some awards are open to teens as young as 14. Vaughn says entering Stuck at Prom early on in high school gave her an edge on the competition. When she wasn’t selected as a finalist her sophomore year, Vaughn submitted for the contest again as a junior and went on to win the $10,000 dress grand prize.

"When I began working on my entry in 2022, I already knew how to construct the dress from Duck Tape, so I went into the process with confidence," Vaughn explains.

If you have the time and energy, she suggests applying for multiple awards to increase your chances of securing funds for school.

Leverage your creative side

Not all programs are focused on academics and athletics, so flex your creative side to win scholarships that will reward artistic abilities in drawing, painting, music and more. Beginning at an early age, Vaughn excelled at visual arts and design, which is how she knew Stuck at Prom was a perfect fit for her.

"Creative awards programs are a good outlet for students to show off their talents outside of typical schoolwork," Vaughn says. "Even if you aren’t crafty, scholarship applications could be a chance for you to try something new."

Make scholarships a priority

Vaughn spent 143 hours crafting her prom dress made from Duck Tape to enter Stuck at Prom.

While not all scholarship program submissions will take 143 hours or require making Duck Tape attire, Vaughn says it’s important to block off areas on your calendar so you can balance busy school schedules and extracurricular activities along with applications—ensuring there’s enough time to work on a polished entry, whether it’s creating a piece of art or writing an essay.

While applying for scholarships is time consuming, it can make a huge impact when it comes to paying for college.

Vaughn notes, "It takes commitment and drive to apply for scholarships, but the results are worth it."

A college education is gift we can give to children of our American heroes

Ashley Audo, a student at Eastern Illinois University, poses with a photo of her father U.S. Army Major David Audo, who died while serving in Iraq in 2009. Audo is a recepient of a scholarship from the Children of Fallen Patriots.

Photo provided

NAPSI - While the holiday season is generally a time of joy and celebration, military families can often experience a very different range of emotions. Active service members and veterans returning home for the holidays might struggle to participate in family gatherings or even find the season particularly distressing. And, for the families of those service members who do not return, the holidays can be an agonizing reminder of a loved one’s absence.

In the spirit of the season, honoring the sacrifice of all men and women who proudly served in our armed forces through charitable giving can make a big difference, especially for students like Ashley Audo.

"It means that he was willing to put his life on the line for his country, as well as his family," Ashley Audo, a student at Eastern Illinois University, said in her student spotlight on the Children of Fallen Patriots website. "My Dad loved what he did, and I am proud that he was able to find happiness in life."

Audo added: "Receiving this scholarship from Children of Fallen Patriots has impacted my life because, without it, I would not be able to reach my goals and achieve my dreams of being a nurse.".

Children of Fallen Patriots, a foundation that honors the sacrifices of fallen military heroes by helping ensure the success of their children through college education, has outlined several ways that showcase how charitable giving ensures strong futures.

Support Veteran-Serving Organizations

Tens of thousands of non-profits exist in the United States dedicated to serving veterans and their families. With so many different veteran-serving organizations in the States, it’s crucial to ensure donations are doing the most good for heroes in need.

A good way to evaluate an organization is to use Charity Navigator, a renowned nonprofit evaluation site. The site rates charities on the cost-effectiveness and overall health of their programs on a four-star scale, evaluating their measures of stability, efficiency, and sustainability.

Care for Military Families in Need

Service members selflessly put their own lives on the line to ensure better lives for all Americans, but their families sacrifice much as well. While many organizations offer support directly to veterans, the family back home can get lost in the shuffle.

Children of Fallen Patriots provides college scholarships and educational counseling to military children who lost a parent in the line of duty. Studies show that almost 25,000 children have lost a parent in the line of duty over the last 35 years. A college education is a significant financial burden, and the majority of surviving military spouses make less than $50,000 annually.

Since 2002, Children of Fallen Patriots has provided over $61 million in support to over 2,700 children, including over 1,300 graduates. Additionally, the Gold Star family-focused nonprofit earned a perfect rating from Charity Navigator—an accomplishment less than 1% of the 200,000 rated charities have earned.

"The best way to honor the sacrifice of our service members is to ensure better futures for their children," said David Kim, co-founder and CEO of Children of Fallen Patriots. "A college education is the single most important gift we can give to the children of our fallen heroes, especially during the holiday season—a particularly difficult and stressful time for Gold Star families."

Generosity Goes Beyond The Wallet

Making a donation is one of the easiest ways to support veteran-serving organizations, but plenty of options exist.

More and more people give their time by coordinating fundraising events, such as bake sales and 5k runs. They also spread the word on social media so the country’s veteran community is supported and speak up about the issues that adversely affect them.

For more information on how you can support the foundation, visit www.fallenpatriots.org.

Update: This article has been updated to reflect that Maj. Audo lost his life in a non-combat related incident as reported by Military Times. Press release at the time of his demise indicate that Audo, 35, of St. Joseph, died on October 27, in Baghdad, from injuries sustained while assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment of the 22nd Military Police Battalion, 6th Military Police Group.

Recognized for his contributions and dedication, Kermit Esarey is inducted into the 2022 SJO Hall of Fame

ST. JOSEPH -- St. Joseph-Ogden High School will introduce four new inductees to the St. Joseph-Ogden Hall of Fame during the Spartan football team's Homecoming game against Nokomis. The distinquished group includes 1960 graduate Dee Evans, former three-sport athlete Brandi Carmien Burnett, veteran teacher Kermit Esarey, and The Gary Olson Family.

Below is a short biography and highlights about Kermit Esarey provided by the high school.

Kermit Esarey

Kermit was born and raised in southern Illinois. He graduated from Mt. Carmel High School in 1940.

He attended the University of Illinois, College of Agriculture, majoring in Agricultural Education. He was drafted into the Army after his junior year as a 2nd Lieutenant. He returned to the U of I after his release from the military and received his Bachelor’s degree.

He began his teaching career at Scotland High School where he taught for one year. He then taught at Cisne High School for four years. He moved to St. Joseph and started teaching at St. Joseph High School in 1952. He completed his Master’s degree that same year from the U of I and continued his teaching career at what is now St. Joseph-Ogden High School until his retirement in 1982. He was also the FFA advisor while teaching at SJO.

Kermit was married to his wife, LaDema for 73 years. She preceded him in death in 2017. They had one daughter, Gail, who lives in Arlington, Texas with her family. After Kermit’s retirement, he and LaDema moved to Texas to be closer to their family. While they resided in St. Joseph, Kermit and LaDema were active members of the St. Joseph Methodist Church. Kermit was also a member of the local Lion’s Club and the IAVAT.

Kermit was awarded the Honorary State FFA Degree in 1979 as well as an honorary membership in the Alpha Tau Alpha fraternity. Kermit supervised more than 20 student teachers during his career at SJO. He would often say that some of his greatest satisfactions in life were to visit with former students and encourage them to become successful in ag related fields.

In 2020, his daughter Gail established a scholarship at the U of I in his name to be awarded to a student majoring in the agricultural field. Kermit passed away in 2019 at the age of 97. Kermit was the oldest of four brothers. We are honored to have several members of his family here with us tonight to receive this award in his name.

Thank you to Kermit Esarey for your dedication to the SJO school! Congratulations once again to Kermit Esarey and his family for the induction into the St. Joseph-Ogden High School Hall of Fame.

College scholarships available for future Illinois teachers

Photo: Janko Ferlic/Pexels

Do you like working with young children or have an interest in pursuing a degree in the education field?

The Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) is offering college scholarships to students and daycare professionals that plan to teach or become administrators in the early childhood care and education field in Illinois once they have earned their degree. The scholarship is available for students studying at any one of 63 colleges and universities in the state.

If you currently work or have worked in the early childhood education field and want additional credentials like a 2- or 4-year degree, you may be eligible for the scholarship. The award is designed to help cover college costs for an academic year - including a summer session - after financial aid from other sources has been received by the applicant.

"The program was created to address the shortage of qualified early childhood educators by encouraging the pursuit of credentials and advancement of already-held degrees in early childhood education, with an aim toward building a strong, well-prepared workforce," according to scholarship announcement on the isac.org.

The application deadline for the upcoming academic year is March 1. For more information and to apply, follow this link: ECACE Scholarship Program.

Journalism scholarships available for students, application due Feb. 22

by Adriana Gallardo, Ash Ngu and Mollie Simon
ProPublica

We are proud to announce our sixth annual scholarship program. This year we are teaming up with The Pudding, a visual essays online publication.

ProPublica, with additional support from The Pudding, will be sponsoring need-based scholarships for 25 students to attend an eligible journalism conference in 2021 and/or to contribute toward journalism related expenses such as subscriptions to news publications, software, FOIA fees, or equipment (think cameras, recorders, etc.).

Anyone who is a permanent U.S. resident is eligible to apply. We especially encourage students from an underrepresented group in journalism — including people of color, women, LGBTQ+ people and people with disabilities — to apply.

The $750 scholarships will go to students who would otherwise be unable to attend conferences or purchase supplies to support their education and ongoing reporting.

The following conferences offer great opportunities for networking and professional development, especially for those just starting out in journalism. Scholarship recipients will also have the opportunity to meet ProPublica and The Pudding staff throughout the year at conferences (virtual or in person). Check out last year’s scholarship recipients.

You can apply for the scholarship here. The deadline is Feb. 22. Students have the option to select a conference as part of their application. We understand many have yet to announce dates and that formats may change, but we would still like to know which you are interested in attending.

AAJA, Asian American Journalists Association. Location and dates TDB.
AHCJ, Association of Health Care Journalists. Austin, Texas, June 24-27.
IRE, Investigative Reporters and Editors. Indianapolis, June 17-20.
JAWS, Journalism and Women Symposium. New Mexico, Sept. 24-26.
NABJ National Association of Black Journalists. Houston, Aug. 18-22.
NAHJ National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Virtual, July (exact date TBD).
NAJA, Native American Journalists Association. Phoenix, Sept. 15-19.
NICAR, The National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting. Virtual, March 3-5.
NLGJA, Association of LGBTQ Journalists. Location and dates TBD.
NPPA, National Press Photographers Association (Northern Short Course). Location and dates TBD.
ONA, Online News Association. Location and dates TBD.
SND, Society for News Design. Location and dates TBD.
SRCCON, organized by OpenNews. Location and dates TBD.

Every year, we share what ProPublica is doing to increase the diversity of our newsroom and of journalism as a whole. These scholarships are a small but important step to help student journalists from underrepresented communities take advantage of everything these conferences offer.

High school, college and graduate students are welcome to apply. You must be a student at the time of application, but it’s OK if you’re graduating this spring.

Questions about the application process? Want to contribute to our scholarship fund to send more students to these conferences? Get in touch at adriana.gallardo@propublica.org.

This story was originally published by ProPublica on January 20, 2021. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.

Sons and daughters of Navy pilots are eligible for scholarship

Are you a high school graduate and the natural, step, or adopted child or grandchild of a current or former Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard Naval Aviator, Naval Flight Officer, or Aircrewman? Have you been accepted as an undergraduate at an accredited college?

If so, you may qualify for an annual scholarship through the Tailhook Educational Foundation to support the academic aspirations of the children and grandchildren of Naval Aviation veterans and active carrier aviators. Individuals, children and grandchildren of individuals who are serving or have served on board a U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier in a Carrier Air Wing, Ship's company, or embarked on a Staff also qualify for scholarship funds that was established by the TOPGUN Fighter Foundation.

"We are always looking for ways to pay it forward and support our Tailhookers and their families who have given so much to our country," said E. Matthew 'Whiz' Buckley, Founder and Chairman of TOPGUN Fighter Foundation, in a released statement about the educational award. "What better way to show appreciation than helping fund the education of their children and grandchildren while enriching their knowledge of Naval Aviation."

Buckley was a F/A-18 Hornet Instructor and flew 44 combat missions over Iraq. He was awarded 2 Strike/Flight Air Medals by the President of the United States.

He added: "I am honored and humbled to wear the wings of gold and defend this great country and putting the ladder down for the next generation of Naval Aviators is the least I can do."

The scholarship is funded by a $60,000 in donations made to the Tailhook Educational Foundation. The permanent scholarship, set up by the TOPGUN Fighter Foundation, will use the $3,000 annual yield to support each year's grant payout. The annual scholarship was a natural fit to help countless children and grandchildren of Naval Aviation veterans and active carrier aviators.

In the past, the Tailhook Educational Foundation has awarded over 100 scholarships annually ranging from $3,000 to $15,000 per year with a number of the grants awarded to students pursuing an education in either Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts or Math. The goal of the funding is to help Naval Aviation legacy students in their pursuing an undergraduate degree.

The Tailhook Educational Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in February 1992. The Foundation's mission is to educate the nation's public with regard to the history and present-day activities of the United States Navy carrier aviation and its importance to our country's national security.

To apply for a 2021 scholarship visit https://www.tailhook.net/tef-home.