Around this time of the year, seniors are often busy applying for scholarships. A scholarship is free money awarded to a student to help them with college; anyone can apply to one if they fit the criteria. It is recommended to begin applying as soon as you can. Even as early as freshman year, students can start researching what scholarships they would like to apply to. They also should start writing essays for scholarships since they do not change very much. For juniors, there is a really good scholarship called QuestBridge. This scholarship gives you different opportunities like college trips and even if it is not necessary for college, it could lead to a full ride scholarship for your senior year.

Naviance is a website that offers a variety of scholarships. Hoover’s scholarship coordinator, Ms. Tawnya Pringle, has a listing on scholarships that have been offered over the last few years. In addition to Naviance, it is recommended that students also visit Gates Millennium, a scholarship if awarded,  helps pay for your education. The San Diego Foundation has one application for about forty different scholarships opportunities. Fastweb offers scholarships nationally but it is recommended to stick to the local scholarships first.

The Effron Scholarship program is a scholarship offered exclusively for Hoover students. This scholarship is funded through Price Philanthropes and offers up to $20,000. Other scholarships that students can apply to are Lee Mongrue Memorial, Sigma Lambda Gamma Women’s Empowerment, San Diego Society African American Alumni Association, Hoover High School Alumni Association and many more. Some of these are for Hoover students to compete with. These scholarships can be find outside Ms. Pringle’s office.

“Students should apply because this will make it a lot easier for you to enjoy your student experience,” explained Hoover’s CAC coordinator, Ms. Claudia Rodriguez. “You don’t have to worry about working, loans, and if needed, it is recommended but scholarships are the way to avoid loans and having to working in college. If you want a piece of mind, apply to scholarships. A lot of students procrastinate and we know there’s so many activities going on, but if you want to have a peaceful senior year and an awesome college experience, apply to as many scholarships as you can. It is very doable to not have to pay anything in college.”