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Scholarship Season, the most wonderful time of the year!

April 3, 2023 by bailee.wright

For most, this time of year is filled with holiday cheer, delicious meals, enjoying time with family, and making plans for the new year, but for graduating seniors (and their parents) the reality of a higher education, and the financial commitment that comes with it, is lurking in the back of their minds.

A college education does not have to be a financial burden. In fact, on average 1.7 million scholarships are awarded every year, totaling to over $6 billion, according to the Washington Post. Approximately 1.9 million graduating high school seniors will attend college starting in the fall of 2023, making your odds of securing a scholarship reasonably high. Even better, Texas 4-H gives away $2.2 million dollars in scholarships every year, meaning that 4-H members have an even higher chance of receiving a scholarship for higher education.

In honor of this Holiday Season, or as I like to call it, “Scholarship Season,” I am going to gift you with my top 5 tips for successfully taking advantage of scholarship opportunities. 

  1. FAFSA If you have not already completed the FAFSA process, RUN. Most scholarship applications require a completed Student Aid Report (generated by FAFSA). The sooner you complete this step, the sooner you can begin applying for scholarships. The deadline in Texas for priority consideration for financial aid is January 15, 2023. It may sound intimidating, but once you start the process and have the required additional materials, it takes less than 20 minutes to complete. You will need student and parent social security numbers, and 2021 tax returns including W-2’s.
  2. Make a list and check it twice! Do your research and create a list of potential scholarships that you can apply for. Make sure you read the requirements and qualifications carefully, you do not want to waste valuable time applying for a scholarship that does not apply to you.  Organize your list in order of deadline priority. Mark these deadlines on your calendar and set reminders for yourself. Look through the applications and give yourself plenty of time to to complete the application. Lucky for you, I already have a list started.
  3. Identify 3 references! Chances are that at some point during scholarship season you are going to need to be able to list references and/or supply recommendation letters. It is best to secure these references and letters at the beginning of the process! Here’s the hard part, who do you ask? Ideally, your references would be adults outside of your family, who know you, your work ethic, and character. Examples could be teachers, coaches, advisors, church leaders, employers or supervisors, or even your county extension agent. It is best to reach out in person or call these individuals to ask them if you can use them as references on your scholarship applications. When asking for recommendation letters you should give no less than 2 weeks notice, and give yourself a few days between the time you ask for the letter to be returned and the deadline to submit your application. You should also supply the people writing recommendation letters with a brief summary/list/resumé of your involvement and accomplishments. In some cases it might be worth asking the people writing your letters if you could use their letter for various applications you will be submitting throughout the year.  Make sure you stay on the nice list by sending a personal, handwritten thank you note to the individuals who serve as your references. 
  4. Get your tool box ready. Although scholarship applications can vary greatly, there is a basic list of information you can prepare ahead of time to help you fill out the application. The good news is, that if you are a 4-H member you probably already have a list of the below completed from your record book!
    1. Leadership Activities/Involvement – create a list with a description of leadership roles you’ve held, activities/organizations/teams you have been a part of, leadership trips/camps/trainings you have attended. Examples: 4-H, FFA, Student Council, Band, Sports Teams, etc.
    2. Community Service Projects/Involvement – Examples: Canned Food Drives, Donating Clothes, Trash Clean-ups, Church involvement, etc.
    3. Awards & Honors – A Honor Roll, Top Math Student, Basketball MVP, etc.
    4. Personal Narrative – this is something that I believe deserves some real time and effort. The point of this personal narrative is not to be able to use it for every essay on every application, but as a starting point and place to pull bits and pieces for the various essays you will need. This narrative should include background information about yourself, brief overview of your involvements and accomplishments, how your involvements relate to your passions and how those passions will translate to your college education and career. You should also include paragraphs regarding your college choice and career choice, goals, and financial need. This narrative will be broad and all inclusive. You may find a couple scholarships that this narrative will fit, but as fore mentioned you will hopefully be able to utilize different paragraphs and sections of this narrative for various essays. Hint: a creative theme for your essays can help you stand out.
  5. Find people you trust. Scholarship applications can quickly become overwhelming and you can quickly become “blind” to mistakes and redundancy. I encourage finding a couple (the more the merrier doesn’t always hold true in this case) people you trust to look over your applications. Some ideas might include a parent, older sibling, English teacher, counselor, or even your county extension agent.

Merry Scholarship Season,

-Bailee

Filed Under: News

The Art of the Thank You Note

April 3, 2023 by bailee.wright

With stock show season under your belt, hopefully you have sent a few thank you notes. Graduation is just around the corner for our seniors, who are sure to be writing thank you notes throughout the summer. Sending thank you notes as a representation of gratitude is an age-old tradition that will never go out of style.

If you’ve ever received a thank you note, you know this to be true: there are good thank you notes and there are bad thank you notes.

Check out these resources to make sure you are writing the best thank you notes you can!

http://thrivingonordinary.com/2018/03/24/4-h-buyer-thank-you-tutorial/

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FAs4zmCcC5tzEK21Xgw6S5N87Zu7VHmf/view

Pinterest

Thank you notes can and should be utilized in ALL your 4-H projects, not just your livestock projects! I challenge you to send one thank you note a month to someone who has donated their resources, time, or efforts to aid you!

-Bailee

Filed Under: News

Spring is in the Air! – March 22, 2023

March 22, 2023 by bailee.wright

Although it may not quite feel like it here in District 2, it is officially spring! A new season brings new opportunities to address needs in our communities. Here is a list of spring community service ideas! Take a look and let us know what spring service projects you like participating in!

  1. Donate lightly used clothing.
  2. Make blankets or pillows to donate to a shelter
  3. Host a Canned Food Drive
  4. Reach out to your local Meals on Wheels and see how you can help (seasonal tray favors are so fun to make!)
  5. Make Easter table/door decorations for your local nursing home
  6. Put together goody bags for your first responders or nurses
  7. Host a park/community cleanup event
  8. Choose a charity and host a fun run with proceeds benefitting the charity
  9. Write letters or make cards for youth in foster care. Reach out to your local CASA or CPS
  10. Write letters or make cards for nursing home residents or hospital patients
  11. Volunteer to read at your local library or lead a craft
  12. Create a community garden or volunteer at an existing one
  13. Plant flowers in public areas
  14. Donate to local animal shelters or make dog toys out of old fabric scraps
  15. Crochet plastic mats for the homeless
  16. Collect coke tabs for Ronald McDonald House
  17. Sew a walker caddy for the elderly
  18. Host a book drive
  19. Volunteer with Snack Pak 4 Kids
  20. Make First Aid kits for the homeless
  21. Launch a recycling competition
  22. Host a tree planting event
  23. Send cards/care packages to soldiers
  24. Host a car wash and donate the proceeds to a chosen charity
  25. Volunteer to paint park benches or other public areas that need to be re-painted
  26. Donate baked goods to the teacher’s lounge
  27. Host a community-wide Easter Egg Hunt
  28. Cleanup at the cemetery
  29. Get involved with Special Olympics
  30. Build & donate birdhouses

Filed Under: News

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