Welcome to Scholarship and Financial Aid Information Night January 23, 2018 Forest Lake Area High School

Tonight’s Agenda Welcome: Stephanie Ward, Dean of Students and District Scholarship Coordinator Scholarship Overview: Stephanie Ward Community Scholarship Foundation Info: Joe Lefto, CSF Board Member Financial Aid information and paying for college: Tom Larson, financial planner and college funding expert from Thrivent Financial

Scholarships Presented by Stephanie Ward, FLHS District Scholarship Coordinator and Dean of Students

Welcome! Introduction Overview of types of scholarships Overview of local scholarships Tips for applying and crafting an essay/personal statement

High School / School District Types of Scholarships High School / School District Community/business Academic Athletic Military/ ROTC College Specific Ethnic or Race-Based Corporate Religious

Independent Local Scholarships There are approximately 25 independent local scholarships. These scholarships are listed on the district Scholarship webpage: http://hs.flaschools.org/scholarships The Forest Lake Area Independent Scholarships are individually-funded opportunities with their own specific criteria. Paper applications are mailed in to the various donors.

Independent Local Info, cont. Review the specified criteria for each scholarship; apply to all possible. Many utilize the general “Forest Lake Area Scholarship Application”. Some of these scholarships have their own applications. All are available on the website. Deadlines for these scholarships vary, so look closely!

The Tozer Scholarship The Tozer Foundation was created under the will of the late David Tozer in 1947. Mr. Tozer directed in his will that a charitable corporation be formed to assist young people to obtain a college education from Washington, Kanabec, and Pine counties. Applications are online (www.scholarsapply.org/tozer). Tozer scholarships are $2,750 per year, renewable for four years.

Additional Tozer Information Applicants must be a resident or attend high school in stated counties. Submit online application and Page 1 of the FAFSA SAR by mail to the Tozer Foundation by 2/20/2018. PRINT a copy of the completed application to submit to FLHS. Transcripts and counselor rec forms will be provided by FLHS staff. Do not turn in letters of recommendation. A COMPLETED application must be submitted to Vicky Monzel in the Student Services office by Friday, February 9, 2018, by 3:30 p.m. No late applications will be accepted.

Community Scholarship Foundation Website: http://www.flacsf.org Foundation began in 1973; community businesses, organizations, and individual donors pool money for these scholarships. One online application makes students eligible for almost 100 CSF scholarships. Online application deadline: March 17, 2018 Welcome: Joe Lefto, CSF Board Vice- President

Application Tips Scholarships are available in many forms and to all types of students; students should apply for ALL scholarships for which they are eligible. Avoid procrastinating and submit on time. Take time on applications and give enough time for essays and personal statements. Collect strong letters of recommendation; these come best from teachers.

The Essay/ Personal Statement Stay within the prescribed length or word limit. Draft, edit, peer review, and revise these statements. They often make the difference in who gets the scholarship. Avoid “over sharing”. While this is a chance for the selection committee to get to know the applicant, avoid sharing too much information that may detract from the point of your essay.

Questions? Stephanie Ward, Dean of Students and Scholarship Coordinator 651-982-8405 sward@flaschools.org

Welcome Tom Larson, financial planner from Thrivent Financial