Fitness Lifestyle Scholarship

Scholarship is open to students currently enrolled full-time in college, an alumni, or in high school. Applicant must submit an essay on what can be done to encourage people to live a healthy lifestyle.

Award: $500

Deadline: Dec. 31, 2015 

More info: http://www.mysupplementstore.com/scholarship.html

Persian Scholarship Foundation Scholarship

This scholarship is for students who are currently enrolled in a high school, college, or university in the United States. Applicants must have published an essay, article within their school's newspaper, or local/national newspaper that discusses themes relating to the history, culture, literature, or heritage of the Iranian people or the achievements of scholars, scientists, and leaders of Iranian descent. Please see website for further essay guidelines.

Award: $500-$1000

Deadline: Dec. 15, 2015

More info: http://theisf.org/

Engineering Education Service Center Poster Contest

Contest is open to students in elementary, middle, high school and college. Contestant must create and submit a poster on the category “STEM Careers.”

Award: Up to $200

Deadline: Nov. 16, 2015

More info: https://www.stemposters.com/index.php?route=information/information&information_id=7

Bluetooth Breakthrough Award

Award is open to individuals actively enrolled in high school, college-level, or post-graduate school. Applicant must submit a product, application, prototype, or project utilizing Bluetooth wireless technology.

Award: $5,000

Deadline: Nov. 2, 2015

More info: https://www.bluetooth.org/en-us/news-events/bluetooth-breakthrough-awards

RN to BSN Online Programs Scholarship Program

Scholarship is open to students currently attending a college or university in the fall of 2015 who want to become a nurse.

Award: $500

Deadline: July 31, 2015

More info: http://www.rntobsnonlineprogram.com/scholarship-program/

Providian Medical Scholarship

Providian Medical Equipment 

This scholarship is for students 16 years of age and older who are enrolled at an accredited high school, college, or university in the United States. To qualify, applicants must be either in their final year of high school or enrolled at the undergraduate level in "good standing." Applicants must also maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. To apply for this scholarship, applicants must submit an original essay of up to 1,500 words that describes how medical equipment technology has changed the face of a college course and curriculum. Entries can also include how this area of study will continue to evolve and advance.

Award: $500

Deadline: June 21, 2015

More info: http://www.providianmedical.com/providian-medical-scholarship/

Germans from Russia Heritage Society Essay Contest

Germans from Russia Heritage Society (GRHS) Youth Committee 

This essay contest is for middle school, high school, and university, and college undergraduate students from around the world. To enter, applicants must submit an essay on German-Russian history and culture. Entries are judged on quality of research and writing style. For more details on format, rules, and requirements, please see the application.

Award: $100-$1000

Deadline: March 31, 2015

More info: http://www.grhs.org/youthn/current/current.html

Making the Grade: America's Most Beautiful College Campuses

By Chloe Pantazi

'No matter how much colleges try to sell themselves with fancy academic rankings, resort-style amenities, and the lure of intramural ultimate Frisbee (!!), it almost always boils down to the campus visit.

And also, parties. But mostly, the campus visit.

And since not every one of America’s roughly 3,000 four-year colleges and universities can be beautiful (even if their moms think they are — sorry, UMass Dartmouth), we took into consideration factors like architecture, location, landscape, and historic structures, and narrowed it down to the nation’s most picturesque 25:'

Click here for full list and article: http://tinyurl.com/lqt46dn

Get to Know the Pieces of a College Application

Filling out college applications is one of those interesting processes that most people only do once in their lives. This means two things:

First, by the time you become an expert, you probably never have to fill out an application again. And second, everyone who is filling out applications is brand new to the process!

We want you to be totally prepared for your college applications this year, so we’ve prepared a handy guide you can use to familiarize yourself with the different pieces of a standard application. Not every college you apply to this fall will require each of these, but if you are applying to a healthy number of schools (and you should be) you will most likely encounter all of these separate pieces.

Read the full article from College Greenlight here: http://www.collegegreenlight.com/blog/get-to-know-the-pieces-of-a-college-application/

International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association Undergraduate/Graduate Scholarship

International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association (IDDBA)

This scholarship is for current full- or part-time employees of an IDDBA-member company who are high school seniors or current or returning college or vocational/technical school students. To qualify for this scholarship, applicants must work a minimum of 13 hours per week during the school year for an IDDBA-member company. Applicants must have a 2.5 GPA and be pursuing an academic field of study in a food-related field (such as culinary arts, baking/pastry arts, or food science), business, or marketing program.

Award: $100-$1000 

Deadline: July1, 2014

More info: http://www.iddba.org/scholarships.aspx

RCAC's SUMMER 2014: DESTINATION COLLEGE

The Metropolitan Education Commission Regional College Access Center is very proud to announce the creation of the “SUMMER 2014: DESTINATION COLLEGE” presentation series. The RCAC College Interns Program will offer hour long presentations in subjects ranging from college admissions to scholarships and financial aid. The RCAC will also offer one on one college planning appointments for students participating in summer school and summer community programs. Contact DAVID J. RODRIGUEZ at djrrcac@gmail.com, or 520-670-0055 to schedule presentations and appointments. 

More info: http://www.metedu.org/rcac/Summer2014DestinationCollege.php

Jane Austen Society of North America Essay Contest

Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA)

This essay contest is for students at the high school, college, and post-graduate levels. To enter this contest, applicants must submit a short essay that addresses, "What do we learn from the silences of Mansfield Park?" Essays must be six to eight pages in length, double-spaced, and in 12-point type. Please read the contest rules for full essay submission guidelines. Winners will receive a scholarship ranging from $250 to $1000; complimentary registration and two-nights' lodging for the JASNA's Annual General Meeting in Montreal, Canada; one-year free membership in JASNA for winner and mentor; and publication of the winning essay on the JASNA website.

Award: $250-$1000

Deadline: May 15, 2014

More info:  http://www.jasna.org/essaycontest/

Google’s Dead-Simple Formula for a Perfect Resume

Link to article: http://time.com/70430/this-is-googles-dead-simple-formula-for-a-perfect-resume/

By Victor Luckerson

For soon-to-be college graduates or anyone else currently on the job hunt, Google’s head of human resources has some advice for impressing potential employers. Laszlo Bock, who oversees the hiring of 100 new Google employees each week, offered some more morsels of wisdom to the New York Times’ Thomas Friedman this weekend (a conversation earlier this year between Bock and Friedman touched on the same topic). Here’s a quick breakdown of his key insights.

Be specific on resumes: Bock points out that many people’s resumes are overly vague. Instead a resume should offer specific details about a worker’s job experience that help contextualize his accomplishments. Bock explains: “Most people would write a résumé like this: ‘Wrote editorials for The New York Times.’ Better would be to say: ‘Had 50 op-eds published compared to average of 6 by most op-ed [writers] as a result of providing deep insight into the following area for three years.’” 

Choose hard courses over straight A’s: Bock says a lower grade in a more challenging course can be more impressive to employers than a stellar performance in an easier class. He said a B in computer science could be more significant than an A+ in English “because it signals a rigor in your thinking and a more challenging course load.”

Explain your thought process in job interviews: Much like resumes, Bock says that specificity here is important. Employers want to know how a potential worker thinks to see whether they will be good at solving problems on the job. He recommends using this structure to explain your experiences to an employer: “What you want to do is say: ‘Here’s the attribute I’m going to demonstrate; here’s the story demonstrating it; here’s how that story demonstrated that attribute.’ ” Using this method shows a worker’s ability to think logically and evaluate their own performance in a critical way.

How to Get a Job at Google

Link: http://nyti.ms/1hXL3IS

By Thomas L. Friedman

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — HOW’S my kid going to get a job? There are few questions I hear more often than that one. In February, I interviewed Laszlo Bock, who is in charge of all hiring at Google — about 100 new hires a week — to try to understand what an employer like Google was looking for and why it was increasingly ready to hire people with no college degrees. Bock’s remarks generated a lot of reader response, particularly his point that prospective bosses today care less about what you know or where you learned it — the Google machine knows everything now — than what value you can create with what you know. With graduations approaching, I went back to Google to ask Bock to share his best advice for job-seekers anywhere, not just at Google. Here is a condensed version of our conversations:

You’re not saying college education is worthless?

“My belief is not that one shouldn’t go to college,” said Bock. It is that among 18- to 22-year-olds — or people returning to school years later — “most don’t put enough thought into why they’re going, and what they want to get out of it.” Of course, we want an informed citizenry, where everyone has a baseline of knowledge from which to build skills. That is a social good. But, he added, don’t just go to college because you think it is the right thing to do and that any bachelor’s degree will suffice. “The first and most important thing is to be explicit and willful in making the decisions about what you want to get out of this investment in your education.” It’s a huge investment of time, effort and money and people should think “incredibly hard about what they’re getting in return.”

Once there, said Bock, make sure that you’re getting out of it not only a broadening of your knowledge but skills that will be valued in today’s workplace. Your college degree is not a proxy anymore for having the skills or traits to do any job.

What are those traits? One is grit, he said. Shuffling through résumés of some of Google’s 100 hires that week, Bock explained: “I was on campus speaking to a student who was a computer science and math double major, who was thinking of shifting to an economics major because the computer science courses were too difficult. I told that student they are much better off being a B student in computer science than an A+ student in English because it signals a rigor in your thinking and a more challenging course load. That student will be one of our interns this summer.”

Or, he added, think of this headline from The Wall Street Journal in 2011: “Students Pick Easier Majors Despite Less Pay.” This was an article about a student who switched from electrical and computer engineering to a major in psychology. She said she just found the former too difficult and would focus instead on a career in public relations and human resources. “I think this student was making a mistake,” said Bock, even if it meant lower grades. “She was moving out of a major where she would have been differentiated in the labor force” and “out of classes that would have made her better qualified for other jobs because of the training.”

This is key for Bock because the first thing Google looks for “is general cognitive ability — the ability to learn things and solve problems,” he said. In that vein, “a knowledge set that will be invaluable is the ability to understand and apply information — so, basic computer science skills. I’m not saying you have to be some terrific coder, but to just understand how [these] things work you have to be able to think in a formal and logical and structured way.” But that kind of thinking doesn’t have to come from a computer science degree. “I took statistics at business school, and it was transformative for my career. Analytical training gives you a skill set that differentiates you from most people in the labor market.”

A lot of work, he added, is no longer tied to location. “So if you want your job tied to where you are, you need to be: A) quite good at it; and B) you need to be very adaptable so that you have a baseline skill set that allows you to be a call center operator today and tomorrow be able to interpret MRI scans. To have built the skill set that allows you to do both things requires a baseline capability that’s analytical.”

Well, what about creativity?

Bock: “Humans are by nature creative beings, but not by nature logical, structured-thinking beings. Those are skills you have to learn. One of the things that makes people more effective is if you can do both. ... If you’re great on both attributes, you’ll have a lot more options. If you have just one, that’s fine, too.” But a lot fewer people have this kind of structured thought process and creativity.

Are the liberal arts still important?

They are “phenomenally important,” he said, especially when you combine them with other disciplines. “Ten years ago behavioral economics was rarely referenced. But [then] you apply social science to economics and suddenly there’s this whole new field. I think a lot about how the most interesting things are happening at the intersection of two fields. To pursue that, you need expertise in both fields. You have to understand economics and psychology or statistics and physics [and] bring them together. You need some people who are holistic thinkers and have liberal arts backgrounds and some who are deep functional experts. Building that balance is hard, but that’s where you end up building great societies, great organizations.”

How do you write a good résumé?

“The key,” he said, “is to frame your strengths as: ‘I accomplished X, relative to Y, by doing Z.’ Most people would write a résumé like this: ‘Wrote editorials for The New York Times.’ Better would be to say: ‘Had 50 op-eds published compared to average of 6 by most op-ed [writers] as a result of providing deep insight into the following area for three years.’ Most people don’t put the right content on their résumés.”

What’s your best advice for job interviews?

“What you want to do is say: ‘Here’s the attribute I’m going to demonstrate; here’s the story demonstrating it; here’s how that story demonstrated that attribute.’ ” And here is how it can create value. “Most people in an interview don’t make explicit their thought process behind how or why they did something and, even if they are able to come up with a compelling story, they are unable to explain their thought process.”

For parents, new grads and those too long out of work, I hope some of this helps.

Registration for the College Greenlight/Cappex Scholarship Marathon is open!

Link to original article: http://www.collegegreenlight.com/blog/registration-for-the-scholarship-marathon-is-open/

The Scholarship Marathon is taking place on Saturday, March 22nd, and just like last year, it will be an all day event.

This year’s Scholarship Marathon will be co-hosted by Cappex.com! That means that this event will be bigger and better than ever. So mark your calendars, and get ready to kick start this year’s scholarship search in style.

For Students 

The Scholarship Marathon is a free virtual event that runs all day at CollegeGreenlight.com. It starts at 9am, and is a chance for students from all over the country to win raffles, prizes, and money for college just for applying to scholarships! How it works: You can register online at this link. You’ll fill out some simple info, and if you don’t already have a College Greenlight profile you can complete one with your registration. Then on the 22nd you can join us online anytime from 9 to 9 (am to pm) to upload proof of your completed scholarship applications, enter raffles and giveaways, get one-on-one scholarship help from the team, and even win a $1,000 scholarship just for participating!

More info:  http://www.collegegreenlight.com/blog/registration-for-the-scholarship-marathon-is-open/

How to Use Your School Counselor

This is an article from NACAC.

Click here: http://www.nacacnet.org/studentinfo/articles/Pages/How-to-Use-Your-School-Counselor.aspx

School counselors are one of the best ongoing sources of support for students who plan to go to college. They can provide guidance and support throughout the entire process. If you are lucky enough to have access to a counselor in your school, it is in your best interest to visit that person on a regular basis.

Start by making an individual appointment to introduce yourself to your counselor. If small-group college counseling or information sessions are offered, sign up. But don’t only settle for a “group” meeting in which you will have to share time with other students. Make sure that you schedule an uninterrupted time for a private, one-on-one session. Begin by introducing yourself and stating clearly that it is your definite goal to attend college. Make sure your counselor realizes that this is IMPORTANT to you and that you are highly motivated!

Throughout your high school years, your counselor can help you:

• Plan classes that will prepare you well for college admission and success. Your counselor will know which high school classes are required for college admission. 
• Review your academic record with you and suggest areas that need improvement. If you need to do some catching up, your counselor can suggest ways in which to do that. 
• Begin the admission process by identifying the questions you should be asking—and finding honest answers. Questions such as: “Do I want to stay near home? Does the college have my major? How important is size?” 
• Clarify and understand terms, ideas, and experiences for you that will encounter during research, campus visits, or meetings with college representatives. Your counselor will know where to find information; for example in books, catalogues, brochures, and CDs that deal either with the admission process or a specific college or university. In addition, your counselor will be able to point you to Web sites that offer RELIABLE and FREE information about college. 
• Identify special opportunities that may maximize your chances for being a well-prepared and appealing candidate for colleges. These might include weekend or summer programs on college campuses (often free for first-generation students), internships, or community college classes open to high school students. Your counselor will know about local college fairs, opportunities to visit college campuses, and even overnight visits to colleges that may be offered. 
• Familiarize yourself with everything you need to know about the required college admission tests. Your counselor can make sure that you get registered for the PSAT (the practice test for the SAT) and PLAN (the practice test for the ACT) tests. She/he can help you know which tests (SAT, ACT, SAT Subject tests, or TOEFL -Test of English as a Foreign Language) will be required by the colleges to which you may apply. Counselors know how and when to register for tests. She/he can even help with fee waivers if your family can’t afford to pay for tests. 
• Secure applications, identify application deadlines and prioritize in order to make sure that everything gets done carefully and ON TIME! Here also, if you do not have enough money to pay for application fees, your counselor can assist in asking colleges to waive application fees. 
• Complete your applications and polish any required college essays so that the product you send to colleges will represent the best of your thinking and writing abilities. Make sure that you take a “rough draft” to your counselor early on. Leave plenty of time for revision and rewriting, prior to deadlines. 
• Figure out how to PAY for college. First, your counselor can give you essential information about the “need-based” financial aid application process. He/she can help you understand how to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and, if required, other aid applications—such as those required by individual colleges or the College Board’s “College Scholarship Service Profile.” Your counselor may also be able to help you research scholarships that are based on factors other than your ability to pay for college. 
• Write a letter of recommendation to colleges or universities. Many colleges will require that you obtain recommendations from both a counselor and one or two teachers. In addition, counselors are often asked to complete “secondary school and mid-year reports” (included with applications).
• Compare offers of admission and financial aid after you have heard from all of your colleges. This can be an essential step in making a final decision. Your school counselor can help you decide which programs are best suited to your educational goals. She/he can also help you compare offers of scholarships and need-based financial aid that may be sent to you in very different formats from different colleges.

There are a few other very important things to remember about working with your school counselor. Most school counselors have many, many students whom they want to help. So make it as easy as possible for your counselor to help you.

• Make appointments early and show up on time. 
• Submit any forms that require counselor completion well in advance of due dates. 
• Carefully follow any procedures that have been established by your school for turning applications and related forms or for securing transcripts.
• Whenever possible, make copies of everything you mail or give to your counselor. Sometimes, with so much paper, things get lost. When you have a copy easily at hand, nothing is ever lost forever.
• Make sure that you keep your counselor “in the loop” in terms of what you are hearing from colleges. If there are any problems which arise, your counselor can act as your direct advocate with colleges. 
• Whenever you have questions don’t hesitate to return to your counselor for advice, especially if you feel you are being asked by a college to do something that doesn’t seem “just right”. Your counselor will know the rules of the game by which both students and colleges are supposed to play.
• If you think it would be helpful, try to schedule a meeting with your counselor AND your parent(s). There are parts of the college process for which you will need lots of help from them. This is particularly true when it comes time to completing the financial aid applications.
• Be sure to thank your counselor for assistance given. The counseling door is always open to students who show that they are appreciative of a counselor’s time and effort.
• Finally, when all is said and done, and you have made it successfully through the college selection and admission process—make sure that you take time to THANK your counselor one more time with a handwritten note (as well as any teachers who helped). If you have made good use of your counselor’s knowledge and assistance, the thanks will be more than well-deserved. When the student-counselor relationship “clicks,” your counselor will be able to offer the essential emotional support and encouragement that you will need during one of the most important times of your life. And your expression of gratitude will build a reservoir of good-will, should you need to return for further assistance at any time in the future.

 

College Information Workshop - Mission Library - Jan. 11 and 18

College Information Workshop

Mission Library -  January 11 and 18, Mission Meeting Room, 11 am.-1 p.m. at Mission Library, 3770 South Mission Road, Tucson, AZ.

If you are college bound, learn about opportunities that are available to help you choose a college, get enrolled, and find financial aide sources. Learn about filling out the FAFSA form (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Lap tops will be set up so you can access many of the resources while at the workshop and even start filling out applications. The workshop will be facilitated by Mission's Regional College Access Center Student Ambassador. Saturday, January 11, 2014 11:00am - 1:00pm: Mission Branch Library

Using the Metropolitan Education Commission website, you can explore resources available as you get ready to attend college. Get help navigating the many financial aid sources available and learn what information you need to fill out the FAFSA form. Saturday, January 18, 2014 11:00am - 1:00pm: Mission Branch Library. Using the Metropolitan Education Commission website, you can explore resources available as you get ready to attend college. Use library computers to fill out applications or the FAFSA form.

More info:  http://www.library.pima.gov/calendar/?ID=25690

Helen Washington Memorial Scholarship Fund

Graduating African American seniors enrolling in a college or university for fall 2014.

Complete paper application available in your high school counseling office (see your counselor) including 3 recommendation letters.

Contact for more info: TucsonLinksInc@gmail.com

Award: Varies

Deadline: April 16, 2014

TUCSON CHAPTER OF THE LINKS, INC

 

Arizona PTA Scholarship

The Arizona PTA has established the Scholarship Program for the major purpose of aiding able students who have the desire and potential to attend college. A second purpose is to dramatize the need in Arizona for a higher education beyond high school for arizona citizens.

The scholarship is based on financial need. The scholarship is available to any deserving graduating student from an Arizona high school or a current Arizona college.

Award: $500 each semester, renewable up to $4,000 total

Deadline: Feb. 15, 2014

More info: http://azpta.org/ptascholarship.html

 

Reminder: 17th Annual Key to Employment for the 21st Century Symposium, Wednesday, February 5, 2014

The Metropolitan Education Commission's Key to Employment for the 21st Century Symposium will take place on Wednesday, February 5, 2014 at the University of Arizona Student Union Ballroom.

The Symposium is designed to inspire students to pursue college, science, technology, and 21st Century careers. It provides students with an opportunity to meet industry professionals, to explore technologies, to learn about courses of study, skills and educational requirements that will prepare them for college, and to connect with colleges, trade schools, and community organizations that provide opportunities for internships and training. MEC Executive Director, Dr. June Webb-Vignery, states, “The Metropolitan Education Commission is pleased to sponsor the 17th Annual Key to Employment for the 21st Century Symposium.

The Symposium is an excellent opportunity for Tucson and Pima County high school students to meet with high-tech industry professionals and representatives from University of Arizona tech-oriented departments, allowing them to begin making career choices and understanding the academic requirements for achieving their goals. The U of A campus tour that is conducted is an additional incentive for students to pursue their academic and career goals.”

If you are a Pima County high school student and would like to attend the event, please talk to your school counselor, who should contact the Metropolitan Education Commission at 520-670-0055 or metcom@theriver.com .

High-tech companies that are interested in being an Exhibitor are encouraged to visit http://www.mec4education.org/key-to-employment.html to register. We are also soliciting Sponsorships for the event, please email metcom@theriver.com or call 520-670-0055 to find out how to become a Sponsor.

 

Bowling Scholarships

Are you a bowler? The United States Bowling Congress offers scholarships to female and male bowlers in high school and college. Check out their website for scholarships and requirements. Awards are between $1000-$6000. Most deadlines are December 1, 2013.

Check out the website: http://www.bowl.com/Scholarships_and_Awards/Scholarships_and_Awards_Home/USBC_Youth_scholarships/