Scholarships are key when it comes to saving money for a higher form of education. This year, the guidance department of Trinity High School has brought forth many helpful tips and tricks to help students that are applying for scholarships. 

Scholarships can be found on various websites, but the two best options are to search Naviance and the website of the college to which the student has applied. 

 On Naviance, the first place to look is the Scholarship List. Most of the local scholarships listed here will be awarded to at least one Trinity student, and usually, only two to three students apply, so your chances of receiving one of these scholarships are high.

According to Ms. Burns, guidance counselor at Trinity High School, both the Washington County Foundations and Perryman are great scholarships to apply for. The Washington County Foundations’ website has about twenty scholarships for which Trinity students may apply; these are available as of February 1. Perryman’s scholarship, on the other hand, is a 97% tuition scholarship, but is major-specific; it may be awarded to students who are looking to major in technology, engineering, metals and math.

To access the scholarship list, login to Naviance, click on “Colleges,” “Scholarships and Money,” “Scholarship List,”  and then click on “Local & Regional Scholarships.”  The second place to look on Naviance is the National Scholarship Search.  To access this list, click on “Colleges,”  click on “Scholarships and Money,”  and then click on “National Scholarship Search.” Enter as much demographic information as possible or update the existing information. Naviance will use the demographic information to populate a list of existing national scholarships for which a student is eligible to apply.

The deadlines for both local and national scholarships may vary but should be done as soon as possible.

Students are able to apply for as many scholarships as they’d like, as long as they are meeting the eligibility guidelines. The more scholarships the student applies for, the less money they would eventually have to pay back in the long run.

 Many students find themselves unaware of scholarships and this ends up leaving a ton of valuable scholarships unclaimed. In other words, there is a lot of  “free money” floating around.

“There are a lot of scholarships that go unclaimed due to lack of applicants,” said Mr. Poletti, guidance counselor at Trinity High School.

Most organizations that fund these scholarships tend to send the scholarship money directly to the school of the student’s choosing. Specific scholarships for specific colleges will also be sent directly to the financial aid office.

Students may also receive grants through financial aid. These grants will be found through the Free Application For Student Aid  (FAFSA) and can be accessed via fafsa.gov. Be sure to have the FAFSA applications completed by May 1, 2021, in order to be eligible to receive the government pell grant, which can award up to $6,345. Otherwise, June 30, 2022, is the due date in order for it to be applicable to the 2021-2022 school year.

Students with any further questions may email and set up an appointment with their guidance counselor to talk about applying for student aid and scholarships. 

“Please take the time to apply for scholarships. Every little bit helps– As always, students can stop in the school counseling office or contact their counselor directly with any specific questions! We are here to help navigate the process and provide any supporting materials like transcripts,” said Mrs. Amaismeier, guidance counselor at Trinity High School.

 Students should also watch and review the scholarship tutorial posted on the Guidance Department Canvas page. Good luck to all those applying!

Click here to access the scholarship links mentioned in the article!