New Year, New Scholarships:
If you do not have your FAFSA ID yet, you need to make it. At Senior night, we will have two experts to answer FAFSA questions. If you do not have the ID, you would not be in a place to ask the questions. It takes the federal government a few days to process it. Once you have created your ID, start your account. Here is a Champions for Learning Video from last year, but a majority will still be same: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut8QOTRCexg
You could fast forward to 2:00 minutes as the beginning talks about how to complete it.
SCHOLARSHIPS
- ENGINEERING AND Natural Science students only. Apply for Bovenkerk Scholarship. Last year they gave 36 scholarships to students of Collier County. They had 6 full-rides, 6 $20,000 annually, 6 $10,000 annually, and the rest were $5000 annually. These were given only to students of Collier County. They are looking for you vision on how your advanced mathematics, engineering or natural science studies at college will help you change the world. This is NOT a needs-based scholarship even though there is a needs-based question. It is considered but as a small portion of the consideration. Here is the link: https://www.collierschools.com/Page/20373
- Schulze Scholarship: $20000 ($5000 annually over 4 years)
This targets students whose family income is just over the limit to receive the Pell grant. It closes April 1.Apply at https://www.schulzefamilyfoundation.org/college-scholarships/scholarship-schedule/
- Pelican Bay Founders Fund Scholarship: $24,000 ($6000 annually over 4 years)
Here is the website, but the scholarship has not yet been updated, keep checking back. It does give you the qualifications of this scholarship on this page: https://www.thefoundersfundinc.org/scholarship-information/ This is a needs based scholarship. The cap from last year was for families making $75000 or less annually.
- Florida Student Scholarship and Grant Programs (Bright Futures and others) Amount: Varies
Link: https://www.floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org/SAPHome/SAPHome?url=home
Go to first time applicants and create an account. Follow the directions to complete the FFAA. This is not the FAFSA (Federal Government, but that must be done as well) You must submit a FFAA to qualify. If you complete one, then the state will pair you with the appropriate scholarship is you qualify for any of them. This is not needs based
- Scholarships Connector: https://www.swflscholarships.org/finder/
This is a search tool for local scholarships. Many but not all of them use the same application. The instructions under the scholarship will inform you if there are other expectations. Further information can be found at: https://colliercf.org/scholarships/apply-for-scholarships/ That application can be found here: https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=cfccscholarship This is DUE FEBRUARY 5, 2025
Since the tool is not always updated, I suggest ordering your matches according to date. Those with dates in the future are set so they do not have to continue updating.
- I received a phone call while I was writing this from the Marco Island Italian Club. They have a $1000 scholarship called the Fred Carchietta Scholarship to apply toward technical education. You must be part (any part) Italian in your heritage and must be planning to attend a technical school. The application is part of the one I listed above.
- Naples North Rotary Scholarship- included in the application link at #5.
- Naples Womens’ Scholarships (including First Year, Empowering women, Community Service, Arts and Jackie Pierce)- All of these are tied to the application on #5.
- Suncoast Scholarship $2000 Rulate and how to apply are on this link: https://nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/cfef/2024/11/COLLIER.pdf
- Mark Wandall Foundation Scholarship (for students in grief) https://www.themarkwandallfoundation.org/scholarship-program/ Amount unknown
- Daughters of the American Revolution has several scholarships of varying amounts. Look here: https://dar.academicworks.com/ As stated before, Scholarship.com provides some national scholarships and I just recently found: https://studentscholarships.org/scholarships
- I also attached a PDF from the Kantner Foundation regarding scholarships
Get busy and Good Luck! Spend your time on those you believe you would have a good chance to qualify.
Ms. Sudnick
Winter Break Financial Aid Information:
You need to be working on your FAFSA. Deck the halls with boughs of college aid FALALALALA-FAFSA-LA! (Sing to Deck the Halls to help remember to do it! 😊)
- Get a log in for you and your parents: You start the process here: https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/sign-in/landing In the middle of the page, toward the bottom, you will choose “Create an Account”.
- Once you have an ID, complete the FAFSA. If you have all that you need and there are no special circumstances, they project it takes less than an hour.
- Resources for those who may need additional help:
- XELLO- Go to resources in CANVAS (it will take you to CLEVER). When it opens, on the right-hand side in the middle of the page, there is a College Resources link, choose it. There is a scholarship database on this page, but if you scroll to the bottom of the page, choose the link to “FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). It takes you to a page with how to complete and links to do that 😊
- There is a district Virtual Financial Aid Information Night on Monday January 13, 2025. You can watch the presentation through the district website (www.collierschools.com) and through the Education Channel (Channel 99). It will cover Financial Aid Overview, Myths vs. Facts, Types of Financial Aid, Bright Futures Scholarships, Important Application Deadlines, FAFSA Overview, Creating a FSA ID, the Required Documents for the FAFSA, the Collier Community Foundation Scholarship Connector, and Champions for Learning Resources.
- We will have two community members join us at LWTHS for our Senior Night who are experts in completing the FAFSA and will be available for questions for those in process on January 27 from 6:30 to 7:30. If you and/ or your parents need this service, please sign up on the list at the front desk
- Scholarships, Scholarships, Scholarships pay for Uni (to the tune of Jingle Bells). It is the season for the local scholarships, do not miss out. There are several sites but the best sites for local scholarships are: Collier Community Foundation (http://www.cfcollier.org), Collier County Scholarship Connector (http://www.collierschools.com/scholarships) and Collaboratory Scholarships (https://collaboratory.org/more/our-scholarships-program/)
- If you qualify for Bright Futures, you will need to complete the FFAA. This is different from FAFSA. You can find the link to create an account here: https://www.floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org/SAPHome/SAPHome?url=home Under First Time Applicants, you will see a link to create a Student Account. After you do that, you will need to complete the FFAA. There are other scholarships there besides Bright Futures, so take a look. If you are unsure of the hours, you have been awarded, the core subject GPA (what Bright Futures looks at), or your test score submission, you can find it all here when you make an account. If you have issues after your account is made, you may see your counselor to help you answer the questions (this should be a meeting not an email).
Why are you telling me all this now?
You may have extra time over the winter break to complete some of these steps OR complete college applications if you are still working on that part of it. To the tune of “Go Tell it on the Mountain”... Go complete your applications. To all schools and everywhere, Go complete aid for finances... Score some cash for school.
Stop Ms. Sudnick, just stop. Okay, okay, okay…
Have a very Merry and Meaningful break!
Preparing for College Over Fall Break:
1) Complete the first portion of the FAFSA to get your FAFSA ID. You can do that here: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
Remember both you and 1 parent need an account. You will need it throughout your educational career, so keep it safe. The general application opens on December 1, 2024. The earlier you apply for the aid (and have a college acceptance), the more money that could be available to you.
2) Complete College Applications if you have not already done so!
3) Start your local scholarship search. The best tool for this is the Collier Scholars Common Application 2025. Start your search here: https://www.swflscholarships.org/finder/ and your application here: https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=cfccscholarship
4) Look for other possible scholarships. I am aware of some others:
Hagen Scholarship- up to $7500 each semester you are in college. Here is the website: https://haganscholarships.org/application/
LMCU HUTT Scholarship- $2000 scholarship. Here is the website: https://www.lmcu.org/about/community-relations/hutt-scholarship/
https://www.scholarships.com/scholarship-search is a scholarship matching site at the national level. It can show you want you would qualify for if you complete the information. The data base is HUGE
College Board has a similar tool: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search
5) TURN IN YOUR WORK or Volunteer hours. You need to submit either a letter (for volunteer) or your paystub (for work) AND a log sheet. You can find it at the LWTHS website under Counselor's Corner (Volunteer). You must have a short reflection (2-3 sentences) for whatever you turn in.
6) Set up a campus tour.
7) Enjoy your break!
Miss Sudnick
SAT & ACT Waivers
Students that have Free or Reduced lunch this year are eligible for SAT and ACT waivers:
To get the waiver, you will need to show the letter you received from the district at the beginning of the year that proves you are eligible during this year of school. For the SAT, you receive a total of one (1) waiver good for two tests. This, along with the SAT school day, yields a total of three (3) tests that you can take for free during high school.
For the ACT, you can receive up to four (4) waivers. Each one is good for one (1) test, so that yields a total of four (4) tests that you can take for free during high school.
Use them wisely!
Miss Sudnick
