Senior scholarships

With juniors soon to be seniors and seniors soon to be college freshmen, they all want money to pay for college and the adventures that come with it. Study abroad, books, room and board and tuition create a money crunch for families, and scholarships lighten that load. While the process for each scholarship varies, it is worth the time and dedication of students.

Applying for scholarships is easy. Students looking for scholarships should visit the Owatonna High School website. Then, they should follow the left sidebar to the “Scholarships” tab. There are over 100 scholarships listed that can correlate with a student’s grades, life experiences, character and future plans.

Students may visit the career center and look at the scholarship board behind Mrs. Roxi Stewart’s desk, also. It is a great visual to see what scholarships are open. The OHS Office Facebook page is another reference for students to get a preview of the scholarships to come, as well.

When it comes to scholarships, Stewart said, “Planning is huge.” She noted that knowing the requirements of the specific scholarship is important. That includes “anything from how to get your transcript for it to any letters of recommendations” and contacting “teachers or employers that would write those letters of recommendations.”

Deadlines vary from scholarship to scholarship, so for juniors it is always less stressful to look through the list in advance and keep checking up on the deadlines as the school year goes on. When students transition from juniors to seniors, they need to remember that the college they attend may offer scholarships as well. Those scholarships are normally due at the beginning of February. As for seniors, there are still scholarships left and it is never too late to start applying for them.

Taking advantage of these opportunities helps students in their college career, especially when the scholarship connects with the major or profession a student is interested in. Senior Morgan Rapee said, “I’ve been doing a lot of engineering-focused scholarships. I’ve completed three so far, and I have a couple more that I am just going to keep working on.”

Scholarships are not just a financial resource; they are a great way to document your achievements in school, outside of school and as a person.