Most high school seniors are focused on planning their future, especially this time of the year. Those who are planning to attend college might also be interested in applying for scholarships for financial aid. 

The first place AHS seniors can look for scholarship opportunities is their Gmail inbox. Guidance secretary Gina Honke sends information about possible scholarship opportunities along with a list of requirements for application to all seniors. Most of the scholarships Honke sends through Gmail are from local organizations with various values for each. 

Seniors can also find a list of scholarships on the guidance counselor’s website. There, students will find both local and miscellaneous scholarships. To apply for more statewide scholarships, students can go to ICAN Iowa College Access Network, Iowa College Aid, and Southwest Iowa Educational Foundation. Honke also said, “Just within the colleges they applied to, they can look for scholarships in their pages.” 

Students can start applying for scholarships at any time. “If they come across a scholarship, they should be applying for it if they feel they qualify,” said Honke. Scholarships can help with much of the financial burden from college. “It can make the cost of college significantly lower, especially those first two years,” said Honke. Her tips when filling out scholarship applications are to make sure they’re on time, proofread, and to ensure eligibility for the scholarship. “Those are the three big ones.” 

Senior Lia Lillard has been working out the scholarship application process this fall. Recently, she filled out a scholarship through the school online. “I’d say it was fairly easy to fill out, it just took a lot of focus to make sure everything was correct,” said Lillard. The application included information about student eligibility for the scholarship, as well as personal questions. Lillard said that during the application process, students will need their volunteering history, class ranking, GPA, and “anything else that would show who you are.”