1. Mount San Jacinto High School Class of 2016 Scholarships and Financial Aid Last updated January 11th, 2016.

2. Preparing for Scholarship Application ● Build a resume. ● A Personal Statement (500-word essay). ● At least two letters of recommendation. ● Identifies clearly your college and career goals. ● See next slides.

3. Do you know what you want to do or study..?? ○ Visit Career Cruising online at careercruising.com. ○ Explore your personal interests. ○ Research statistics about job availability, colleges and costs.

4. Financial Aid Terms Scholarships are free money for college and are usually based on your area of study or merit, such as good grades, special talents, or community service. Work Study let you earn money for college in a job on or off campus. Loans are borrowed money that you must repay, usually with interest. Grants are money you don’t have to pay back and are usually based on financial need.

5. Buying Books for College ○Books can be a major expense ○How to find which books you need ○What is ISBN? ○Purchase or rent ○Selling books back at the best price ○Websites: half.com amazon.com abebooks.com

6. How do I find out my GPA? ○ Your GPA (grade point average) is based on all grades you receive in all courses during high school.

7. FAFSA ○ FAFSA = Free Application for Federal Student Aid. ○ Our FAFSA workshop is Tuesday, January 19th, during Tuesday elective class. See handout to learn what to bring to the workshop. ○ If you do not have a Social Security number, you may fill out the Dream Act application. ○ Seniors must complete the FAFSA between January 1 and March 2, 2016, to be eligible to receive money for college in Fall 2016.

8. California Student Aid Commission ○ webgrants4students.org - Set-up an account and monitor your financial aid awards. webgrants4students.org ○ csac.ca.gov - Website that provides information about all financial aid programs available to students. csac.ca.gov

9. Financial Aid ○ FAFSA – Seniors, apply January 1 – March 2, 2016 at fafsa.gov. ○ Dream Act – Dreamers should apply January 1 – March 2, 2016 at csac.ca.gov. ○ Cal Grant – Make an account after you submit your FAFSA at calgrants4students.org. ○ Go back to your FAFSA and Cal Grant accounts to update your information and look at the SAR (Student Aid Report) and CAR (California Aid Report).

10. Pathways to Success ○ Pathways to Success scholarship applications are due by March 2, 2016. ○ For the online application, go to pathways.cvscholars.com. ○ $2,500 to $5,000 scholarships.

11. Reynaldo J. Carreon M.D. Foundation Scholarship ● Scholarship application is available online at carreonfoundation.cvscholars.com. ● Applicants must be of Mexican ancestry and have at least a 3.0 unweighted GPA. ● March 1 deadline. ● See winners from previous years at carreonfoundation.org.

12. College of the Desert Alumni Association with Pathways to Success ○ One year scholarship for $2,500 for students who plan to attend College of the Desert. ○ Apply at codalumni.cvscholars.com by March 2, 2016.

13. Palm Springs Art Museum Georgia Fogelson Scholarships with Pathways to Success ● You must be pursuing the Visual Arts in college. ● Must have a high school GPA of 2.0 or above. ● Scholarship amounts are $2,500 for community college or $5,000 for four-year college. ● Apply online at psam.cvscholars.com.

14. American Legion, Owen Coffman Post #519 ○ American Legion requires proof of honorable discharge or proof of U.S. military service by someone in the family to accompany the Scholarship Application. ○ For students interested in a career in nursing. American Legion

15. Hispanic Scholarship Fund ○ Applications will be accepted through January 20, 2016 for the “Make the U” (Haz La U) scholarship program from Colgate-Palmolive and Hispanic Scholarship Fund. ○ colgate.com/HazLaU. ○ hsf.net. ○ latinocollegedollars.org. ○ Follow their application process.

16. Horatio Alger Scholarship ○ $6,000 to $20,000 scholarships ○ Complete an application online at HoratioAlger.com by October. ○ Family income must be less than $50,000 per year. You need a minimum GPA of 2.0. ○ There will be several short essays for you to write. ○ Application opens in August.

17. National League of American Pen Women ○ Each year the National League of American Pen Women, Palm Springs Branch, awards $1,000 scholarships to young women who plan to pursue a course of study in the fields of Art, Letters or Music. ○ You must have at least a 3.0 overall GPA and submit samples of your art, original creative writing or music. ○ Application is available at www.pspenwomen.org

18. California Retired Teachers Association Palm Springs Div 89 ○ Applications due to counselors by February 10, 2016. ○ CRTA will interview finalists for their $2,000 scholarship In April. ○ This is for students interested in a teaching career.

19. California Women for Agriculture Coachella Valley Chapter ○ This scholarship is $3,000 per year plus bonuses for good grades for a student attending a 4-year college, or a $1,500 award for community college. ○ Student must major in an agriculture related field. ○ Applications are due March 2016.

20. Riverside Sheriffs’ Association Student Scholarship Program ○ Dependent children of an active, retired regular, or affiliate member of the Riverside Sheriffs’ Association. ○ Two awards of $2,500 will be granted to students graduating from high school in Riverside County. ○ Application is available at rcdsa.org. ○ Completed applications must be postmarked by March 31st.

21. Dolly Sinatra Sons of Italy ○ Eligible students must be wholly or partially of Italian descent. ○ Must be a graduating senior with at least a 3.0 GPA. ○ Fill out the application from The Dolly Sinatra Lodge of the Sons of Italy and submit it by March 1. ○ You must include an essay about your Italian roots. ○ dollysinatralodgeosia.org

22. Desert Hospitality Accountants’ Association ○ $500 to $1,500 for applicants with a minimum 3.0 GPA who plan to study Accounting. ○ Application can be found online at dhaaonline.org under Education, then Scholarship, then Scholarship application. ○ Completed applications are due in April.

23. Desert Outreach Foundation ○ desertoutreachfoundation.org. ○ Up to five $1,500 scholarships are given. ○ Fill out the application online.

24. Inland Empire Scholarship Fund ○ Applications are accepted online until February 1, 2016 for low-income Hispanic/Latino students with a minimum GPA of 2.7 who plan to attend college full time beginning Fall of 2016. ○ iesfbecas.cvscholars.com.

25. KFC Colonel’s Scholars Program ○ Minimum high school GPA of 2.75. ○ Plan to pursue a bachelor’s degree. ○ Be a US citizen or permanent resident. ○ Demonstrate financial need. ○ Accepting online applications December 1 until February 28. ○ Up to $20,000 scholarship. ○ kfcscholars.org.

26. La Quinta Arts Foundation ○ Fill out the online scholarship application. ○ Three recommendations are required, including one from your current or recent art teacher. ○ Three to five images of your artwork in jpg format are required. ○ You must have a declared major in the field of Visual Arts. ○ http://www.lqaf.com/lqaf-community/visual-arts- scholarship-application/

27. Les Dames d’Escoffier International Palm Springs Chapter ○ Up to $1000.00 scholarship for a female student who is planning to pursue a career in the culinary, hospitality, or nutrition arts. ○ Must be enrolled in a food related program after high school. For example, Chef, Food Blogger, Hospitality. ○ Applications by request only. See your Counselor.

28. Palm Springs Lions Club ○ Two students may receive the Lions Club $500 service award. ○ Eligible students exemplify qualities such as courtesy, integrity, friendship, responsibility, dependability, and concern for others.

29. Palm Springs Teachers Association/PSTA ○ Parent is a teacher for Palm Springs Unified School District. ○ Your application will be reviewed in March.

30. Palm Springs Leadership Association ○ Family member is current employee of Palm Springs Unified School District. ○ Application is due March 11th. ○ See your Counselor for an application.

31. Theresa A. Mike Scholarship Foundation ○ Graduate of a Coachella Valley high school. ○ Full-time post-secondary student ○ Minimum GPA of 3.0 ○ Application online at theresamike.org.

32. RCAEOP Scholarship Riverside County Association of Educational Office Professionals ● For students who wish to pursue a career in business administration or education. ● $1,000 award. ● Essay required and 3 letters of recommendation. ● Entries due January 2016.

33. Ronald McDonald Scholarships ○ rmhc.org/what-we-do/rmhc-u-s-scholarships ○ Download an application for one of these: ○ RMHC Scholars ○ RMHC Asia ○ RMHC African-American ○ RMHC Hacer ○ Applications are due January 2016.

34. SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union ○ A $500 “Worthy Student” scholarship will be awarded to a student.

35. Beware of Scholarship Scams! These scam-spotting rules are from FastWeb.com. ○ Don’t pay money to get money. ○ Too good to be true? It probably is. ○ Spend time, not money. ○ Legitimate scholarships are never guaranteed. ○ Feel suspicious? Trust your instinct.

36. Common Mistakes Students Make When Applying to Scholarships 1. Miss the deadline. 2. Fail to complete the application. 3. Do not proofread application for spelling. 4. Do not answer the essay question. 5. Do not read the eligibility requirements. 6. Provide incorrect contact information. 7. Do not follow the instructions given.

37. Suggestions For Success ● Present yourself well. Neatness counts. ● Check your spelling on everything. ● Be sure your name is on each page. ● Submit all requested information, and submit it on time. ● Be prepared to go to the post office for postage and to mail your own entries.