For seniors, second semester is the time to start the scholarship process. Although there are thousands of scholarships nationwide, there are also opportunities for seniors in Michigan and in Genesee County to aid in paying for college.

“When you are looking for a scholarship, you should consider your interests, the field you’re going into or the college you’re going to,” counselor Elizabeth Elsesser said. “On the school’s counseling webpage there is a link that shows local scholarships and there’s a binder on the table in front of Mrs. Reardon’s office with paper copies of scholarships.”

A senior can begin to prepare for the application process after researching local scholarships and checking to see if they meet the criteria for each scholarship.

“I recommend that students start the application process by conducting thorough research,” career coordinator Cheryl Reardon said. “Also, students should try to find an example of an essay that a previous recipient won with. It can help give students an idea of what kind of people are winning those types of scholarships and how they can prepare for their own entry.”

The scholarships made available to students have a variety of different reasons for their creation.

“The scholarship my family sponsors is in honor of my grandparents, Walter & Margaret Hajec, who had 9 children,” scholarship sponsor Jill Starr said. “When my grandmother passed away in 1998, my family was looking for something to do together to honor both my grandparents, so the the idea of donating money to a scholarship in their name came about.”

In 2016, $192,000 total was earned by seniors from local scholarships at the Seniors Awards Ceremony.

“I received the G. Winifred Koop Memorial scholarship,” Lynch said. “It was so unreal when they called my name. The money I got helped me pay for my textbooks in college.”

The scholarship application will be available for seniors to acess on March 29. The application must be filled out electronically on the school’s website. The application must be submitted by 7:30 a.m. on April 17. The scholarship recipients will be announced at the Senior Honors Award Night on June 6.