Senior Information!

Hello Class of 2024!

Please check this weekly as it details all senior information that we want you to know.

The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) opened a few weeks ago, and LCPS is here to help you fill out your form. Both previously scheduled Financial Aid Workshops earlier this month were snowed out, however, the one at Rock Ridge has rescheduled.

* Saturday, February 10th ~ FAFSA Workshop @ Rock Ridge High School from 1 pm - 3 pm.

• Register here (parent use your SchooLinks log in to register and students log in via LCPS GO)
• Bring your own laptop
• Create your FSA ID prior to the event (one parent, one child): https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/creating-using-fsaid.pdf
• Bring the specific documents (see photo below)
• This is a LCPS wide event and all high school students are welcome.
• We will have financial aid staff from the following institutions helping families:

1. Marymount University's Financial Aid Department
2. Shenandoah University's Financial Aid Department
• We will have Spanish speaking staff on site
• Doors open promptly at 1pm.
• Event will take place in the Cafeteria.

GMU, Shenandoah and Marymount Financial Aid specialists will be coming to help out during this event. Sign up here to attend.

For the slideshow to the virtual Financial Aid presentation given on Wednesday, November 29th, click here.

Our Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) representative has four dates scheduled to visit our Independence High School students interested in either information about or enrolling into the school this fall. Please sign up in SchooLinks.

February 13th @ 11 am (a Spanish Speaking rep will be here this date)

March 19th @ 12 pm

April 23rd @ 11 am

May 9th @ 11 am

Important dates for Radford University are attached.

They want to admit our students and get them as much financial aid as possible! If you want to visit, please see the several opportunities offered!

Randolph College is still getting our name out there! We are a smaller school near the Blue Ridge Mountains, but have unique scholarship opportunities and new programs (especially in STEM). We’re great for students needing more support, smaller environments, or freedom to pursue several academic interests and activities at the same time. Randolph follows a curricular model called TAKE2 which has been a big draw for students because they focus on only two classes at a time, but still graduate in four years!

While many senior students have already locked in schools of their choosing, Randolph College has a Virtual Open House on March 14th for those students who may still be trying to figure it out. Please contact Margaret (Maggie) Rolf, Admission Counselor, if you're interested and she'll provide the link.

Connect with gap year program providers, counselors, alumni, and college admissions representatives at our virtual & in-person events to learn everything you need to know about taking a gap year, including the best gap year scholarships to apply for this year!

Click here for more information!

LCPS currently has 141 available scholarships posted for our students, with more added every week! To find these scholarships, log into your SchooLinks account, and look under the Finances Tab on the left side of your page. Click on Scholarship Matching, and filter the district posted opportunities.

In addition to the LCPS scholarships, check out the many different search engines for additional opportunities - websites such as FastWeb, Scholarship360, Big Future by College Board to name a few allow students to use keywords to search for all kinds of scholarships.

Recent additions Below:

Alpha Delta Kappa Student Scholarship

Taiwanese Culture Center

Men's College Scholarship

FastWeb Opportunities

The Gamma Sigma chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa (an honorary organization for women educators) recently received a grant from the African American Community Alliance to fund a $5,000 scholarship for an African American senior planning to enter the field of education. Please see below for details.

https://sites.google.com/view/va-gamma-sigma/home

On behalf of the Taiwan Culture Center, we opened up the 2024 Taiwanese-American Community Scholarship Award program.

This $1000 award is open to all ethnic backgrounds. The deadline is April 1, 2024.

Click here for more information. Click here to apply.

The scholarship is designed to identify and reward outstanding high school seniors who have demonstrated an ability to excel in the fields of academics, extra-curricular school activities and community involvement. It is available to any male, graduating senior who is enrolling in a four-year undergraduate college program that commences in the fall of 2024.

Click here for more information and how to apply!

Easily find scholarships that fit you. Fastweb is a free scholarship search platform that connects students to college scholarships, trade school scholarships, and financial aid tools. Our goal is to help you find scholarships to make college or vocational school more affordable.

Click here to see these 24 scholarships.

Click here to go to FastWeb's other opportunities!

Our Mission

The Joyce-Gillespie-Harrington Educational and Charitable Foundation increases opportunities for achievement for African-American males through scholarships, mentoring, and charitable services.

To be considered for one of this year’s $2,000 Jewel College Scholarships, an applicant must meet the following criteria:

• Eligible to graduate from high school by the end of the current academic school
• Plans to enroll in an accredited college or university for the Fall 2024 school year
• Reside in Northern Virginia Counties of Fairfax and Loudoun or within the greater Metropolitan Washington, DC. area

Application Requirements

Submit a complete application package on or before March 14, 2024, and include the following:

1. Two-page Jewel College Scholarship Application (Please Type or Print).
2. A two-page, typed, double-spaced essay describing, “Who am I, and What will the Jewel Scholarship Mean to Me?”
3. A typed detailed description of your high school community service and volunteer activities.
4. Two letters of recommendation.
5. A copy of your most recent 12th-grade transcript which includes your cumulative high school grade point average.

Two $500 C. Richard Walk Masonic Memorial Scholarships will be awarded in the current academic year to two full-time graduating seniors. These scholarships are underwritten and sponsored by Ashburn-Sterling Lodge No. 288, Ancient Free & Accepted Masons in Ashburn, Virginia.

The PDF application is below. Please follow the directions on the application process and where to submit by their deadline.

Here's a quick document to peruse this spring season with a few current scholarships, a few that will open in the spring, summer and fall, and additional resources.

The KPMG Future Leaders Program annually awards 22 deserving high school female seniors:

1. A scholarship of $10,000 per year for 4 years of college
2. A virtual leadership development retreat and ongoing KPMG support
3. A pairing with an executive mentor for one-year

Applicant criteria includes:

• High school female senior planning to enroll in a four-year undergraduate program for the upcoming 2024 fall semester
• U.S. Citizen or permanent resident (including all U.S. territories)
• Demonstrate a significant financial need (maximum household income of $75,000)
• Proven track record of academic excellence and leadership potential with minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA
• Interest in a business or STEM academic track
• Letter of recommendation from a nonprofit/community organization

Applications must be submitted online by February 1, 2024. An independent selection committee will select and notify the 22 recipients by April 15, 2024.

The Ron Brown Scholarship honors the legacy of Ronald H. Brown through a selective scholarship program that advances higher education for community-minded and intellectually gifted African Americans.

RBSP competitively awards 45 – 50 four-year $40,000 scholarships ($10,000 each year) to the most talented and economically-challenged high school seniors who demonstrate a keen interest in public service, community engagement, business entrepreneurship and global citizenship – the four pillars of the late Ronald H. Brown’s mission to uplift people of all races, cultures and ethnicities – especially our disadvantaged youth.

Recipients may use the renewable scholarships to attend an accredited four-year college or university of their choice within the United States. Ron Brown scholarships are not limited to any specific field or career objective and may be used to pursue any academic discipline. Since the Program’s inception in 1996, 634 students have been designated as Ron Brown Scholars.

Applicants for the Ron Brown Scholarship MUST be Black/African American, US citizens or permanent residents, and a current high school senior at the time of their application.

For more information and how to apply, click here

In addition to the LCPS scholarships, check out the many different search engines for additional opportunities - websites such as FastWeb, Scholarship360, Big Future by College Board to name a few allow students to use keywords to search for all kinds of scholarships.