January 2020
Happy New Year!
Applications to the University of Oregon are due on January 15, and applications to Oregon State University and Portland State University are due on February 1. Also due on February 1: OSU application for scholarships (Scholar Dollars) and U of O scholarships (including the Diversity and Presidential scholarships); priority admissions for Western, Southern, and Eastern Oregon Universities (to be eligible for scholarships).
All students who wish to apply for federal and state grants to attend college should complete the FAFSA very soon! Funds may be used at some trade schools as well as colleges and universities. See ASPIRE for details.
There are lots of regional, state, and national scholarship opportunities listed by due date at Oregon GEAR UP: https://oregongearup.org/calendar/scholarship.
If you have a disability (physical, learning, etc.) you may be eligible for a scholarship from INCIGHT. If you qualify for an IEP or 504 plan you are eligible to apply. The application deadline is April 1st. https://www.incight.org/scholarship.
The next testing date for the SAT is March 14; register by February 14. The next testing date for the ACT is February 8; register by January 10.
Reminder: the Siuslaw Regional Scholarship Application (SRSA) due date is March 13. Do not wait until the last week to prepare your application! The application is available on your Western Lane flash drive (check with ASPIRE if you don’t have one).
You will need 2 letters of recommendation for the SRSA. It is best to select at least one teacher. The other letter can come from a teacher, employer, pastor, school counselor, or other individual who knows you well (but not a family member or classmate). Be sure to give your recommenders plenty of time to write a letter for you, so ask soon. There is a form available on your WLCF flash drive that you can use to provide useful information to your recommender.
If you have experienced especially difficult circumstances in your life, you may wish to apply for a Beat the Odds scholarship. The application deadline is February 1st. For information and application:
https://stand.org/oregon/beat-the-odds
A new law took effect on January 1st that allows community colleges to offer baccalaureate (bachelor’s) degrees in Oregon if approved by the state government. While it will probably take a while for the first B.A. or B.S. degrees to be offered by any of Oregon’s community colleges, this is worth watching. It could mean the possibility of earning a 4-year degree at a much lower cost than what you currently have to pay at a 4-year university like U of O or OSU.
The Pride Foundation offers scholarships to LGBTQ students. The application deadline is Friday, January 10. See ASPIRE or go to https://pridefoundation.org/find-funding/scholarships/application/
Applications are due on March 2nd for the Greenfield Peace Writing Scholarship. Since this is an essay contest, you should not wait until the last minute. The topic this year is “How would an effective movement for climate justice benefit immigrant communities?” For details go to: https://www.oregonpsr.org/greenfield_peace_writing_scholarship
The ‘Path to Your Future’ Essay Contest application will be due on February 29. Details are available in the ASPIRE office. This is a local (Siuslaw region) application. Two winners will receive new laptop computers.
Have you considered college online? There are now many colleges and universities (2-year and 4-year) that allow you to earn a degree or certificate that is 100% online. Here are just a few examples:
· Lane Community College: 3 AA degrees
· Portland Community College: 7 AA degrees and 13 certificates
· Mt. Hood Community College: 14 AA degrees and 18 certificates
· Southwestern Oregon Community College: 2 AA degrees and 2 certificates
· Oregon State University: 70+ online degrees and programs, some 100% online and others are hybrids
· Arizona State University: 200+ online degrees
Auditions for the CROW presentation of Mary Poppins will take place on January 20th and 21st at 6:30 PM at the CROW center: 3120 Highway 101 in Florence. For more information go to www.crowkids.com/auditions
High school students who are interested in taking community college classes that are not offered through College Now may be able to enroll at LCC and take classes through the RTEC (Regional Technical and Early College) program. For information go to https://www.lanecc.edu/rtec or call 541-463-5521, or ask your ASPIRE volunteer.
Looking for colleges, scholarships, internships, apprenticeships, or jobs? Take a look at this website: http://tallo.com.
Important special events coming up:
The annual Rotary Club “4-Way Speech Contest” will be held in April. All students in grades 9 through 12 are eligible to enter. To participate, you will need to write and present a 5 to 7-minute speech on a subject of your choice that applies the Rotary 4-Way Test. Cash prizes are awarded to the winners at the district level. For more details see Ms. Osbon or Mr. Moser in the counseling office, or Mr. Orr in ASPIRE.
February 7th is Job Shadow Day in Florence. If you’ve signed up, details will be forthcoming.
The Education Expo will be held on Saturday, February 29th at Siuslaw High School. This event will showcase many educational opportunities available in the area. Sponsored by the Siuslaw School District, Mapleton schools will also be participating, as will about 60 other local organizations that offer various forms of education in the community. There will be food, music, prize drawings, and activities for children. The Expo will be open from 10 am to 2 pm. We will need lots of help for this major community event; all time spent will count for volunteer hours.
March Madness college and career week will take place from Mach 16th to 20th at SHS. You’ll be hearing a lot about this exciting week in the near future.