Scholarships Galore
Preparing for college during senior year can be a hassle for anyone. Aside from grades and involvement in the community, personality also counts. With the huge amount of money needed to pursue college and the current state of the economy, many students try to find scholarships. There are loads of awards and scholarships available to students based on their grades and needs. But in addition, there are some really strange, unique, and specific scholarships that a student can apply for.
Some of these awards help students who have particular beliefs and personalities. Alekhya Veeramalla, senior, says, “I applied for this vegetarian scholarship, which asks you to write an essay on why you are a vegetarian. I have been a vegetarian all my life. It is because of the way I was raised when I was little and now because of my beliefs I still continue to be vegetarian. Most Hindus are vegetarian and so I am.”
Furthermore, these scholarships aim to focus on the individuality of the student and recognize it. Mele Taufahema, senior, says, “I found this scholarship or contest and they reward a person with the longest hair. I have to create a blog about my hair.”
Other scholarships and student aids require more than just essays. Some of them encourage creativity. Senior Sarah Felix says, “I am planning to apply for an art scholarship sponsored by Lucerne Dairy. I have to decorate and design a cow based on my interpretation of American ingenuity. Art in general including music reminds me of the world outside my own and helps me be aware of it. I think I am pretty versed in art.”
Besides personality and looks, organizations want to recognize student’s accomplishments and achievements. Senior Meredith Charlson says, “I won the scholarship Guardian Insurance Girls Going Places Award. It is for teenage girls that run their own businesses. I started mine when I was 14 years old. My company is called City Servers and we provide set ups, food service, and clean up. When the economy affected my sister’s catering business, most of her clients requested just food service instead of full scale catering. She did not want to do that so I volunteered.”
Wherever anyone goes, advertisements flock everywhere and aim to persuade consumers. Some scholarships require the students to support the company. Taufahema says, “There is this Duct tape scholarship. It requires students to wear attire on prom made out of duct tape.” Felix adds, “I have to include Lucerne dairy products in my design.”
These well-known brands and corporations are concerned with more than just helping students. Rena Jan, financial advisor, says, “Some of them use these scholarships for students as more of a free advertising. For example, the duct tape scholarship. To join the contest, the students need to buy their product. This boosts their sales. They know that high school students are a big market group. Besides, it is a cheaper form of advertising than the commercial one.”
Most students know this intention of some scholarships. Charlson says, “They [Guardian Life Insurance] have just been having me speak a lot. I was featured on PBS for kids who run their own businesses. I was also invited to speak at a women’s conference. They just have me go all over the place and I always say the ‘Guardian Life Insurance.’ That is the way they are benefiting from it.”
However, students still appreciate the help that these organizations and private companies give to them. Veeramalla says, “It’s very nice that I could find scholarships of my interest. They vary from my life long goals to small aspects like vegetarianism which is really surprising.” Taufahema adds, “These kinds of scholarships kind of inspire me to do more. It shows me that I can be a little bit more creative and that I need to try harder.”
Winning first place in these scholarships might not be as hard as everybody thinks. Jan says, “Because these scholarships are unique, it is easier to get them. They are for specific population so there is less competition. Sometimes, students don’t even have to write another essay. They could just use their personal statements and just modify them.”
There are many places where students seeking aid can find these opportunities. Veeramalla says, “I found them on Naviance under scholarships.” Taufahema says, “I look up tons of scholarships on Fast Web, Google, and Cappex.” Jan adds, “There is the schoolloop website where there is a page for financial aid and scholarships. They could also use Google and just type a specific aid they need. To help me find these aids, I created an account in Twitter where I follow the organizations that give me information or can give aid.”
Scholarships are a good source of financial help. Most of them require good grades and community involvement. Besides these, there are unusual scholarships for which students can apply. The organizations that fund them aim to give students a chance to get higher education and distinguish their achievements and personality.
