12/21/14

Financial Access to Education Project

PROJECT

Financial Access to Education Project

WEBSITE

Financialaccesstoeducation.blogspot.com

MISSION

Donating scholarship and financial aid guides to under-served public high schools.

PROJECT SUMMARY

Financial aid and scholarship education is needed in under-served public high schools.

The problem:

Many students cannot afford to attend college but qualify for financial aid. Unfortunately, most students do not understand the application process? Financial aid and scholarship education is missing in our under-served public high schools. Students know that earning a college degree would change their lives for the better, but face major financial barriers. Students and parents interested in attending college desperately want to understand and apply for college scholarships but lack the guidance.

The Solution:

Now there is an easy-to-ready guide about applying for scholarships and financial aid for high school and college students, families, teachers, counselors and anyone interested in learning more about free money to pay for college.

Valuable Guide:

How to Submit a Winning Scholarship Application: Secret Techniques I Used to Win $100,000 in College Scholarships (2014) was written by a social worker that shares her proven tips and techniques that helped her win on $100,000 in college scholarships and free financial aid toward her own undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Following is the table of contents:

Is College Worth it?
The Importance of Scholarships and Free Financial Aid
Understanding Scholarships and Free Financial Aid
Ten Tips & Techniques for Submitting a Winning Scholarship Application
Technique #1 - Start Early
Technique #2 - Get Organized
Technique #3 - Where to Find Scholarships
Technique #4 - The Personal Statement
Technique #5 - Letter of Recommendation
Technique #6 - Academic Resume
Technique #7 – Order Your Transcripts
Technique #8 - Follow Instructions/Meet the Deadline
Technique #9 - Community Service and Volunteer Experience
Technique #10 - Always Say Thank You
Addressing Challenges
What to Avoid
Resources

WHAT WE DO

Funding will go towards purchasing and distributing books to under-served public high schools, where they are most needed. One book will be donated to a high school library, media center, or college resource center for use by students, families, teachers, counselors and anyone interested in learning more about free money to pay for college.

In addition, the book donation will include a letter highlighting the donation and the donors.

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

As a scholarship winner and first generation college graduate, I have developed proven tips and techniques that helped me win over $100,000 in college scholarships and free financial aid. As a proven expert and professional consultant in my respective field, I am devoted to helping others find, apply, and win free money to go to college. That is why it is important to get this guide into the hands of the people who need it the most: Students.

Response to a need

I saw a need for scholarship and financial aid education in under-served public high schools for students in need of financial aid to attend college. In response, I wrote a book that breaks down the scholarship application process in an easy-to-read format. I am a new author and a professional social worker. I work for the love of helping others.

I wish I had this book when I was graduating from a public high school and trying to figure out a way to pay for college. I wish I had this book before I ever signed a student loan contract. If I had the extra personal funds today I would put this book in the hands of every student that needed it. That is where YOU come in. Please help me in my effort to change the world by helping students financially access education.

BUDGET

$1,000 from the Awesome Foundation will support 50 book donations.

$14.99 per book

$1.05 7% sales tax per book

$3.99 Shipping and handling per book

Subtotal = $20.03 book donation

12/15/14

Wealth Gap Widens

Question:

Why are #Minority #Scholarships important?

Answer:

Massive wealth gap between whites and other racial and ethnic groups has reached record levels.

________________________________________________________________

Link: money.cnn.com/2014/12/12/news/economy/wealth-by-race-pew/

The Great Recession hit all Americans hard, but only whites have seen their wealth rise during the recent recovery.

And that's widening the already massive wealth gap between whites and other racial and ethnic groups to near record levels.

White households' median wealth ticked up to $141,900 in 2013, up 2.4% from three years earlier, according to a Pew Research Center report released Friday.

Net worth for black households dropped by a third during that time to $11,000. Hispanic families experienced a 14% decline in wealth to $13,700.

Whites have 13 times the net worth of blacks, the largest wealth gap that's existed since George H.W. Bush was president in 1989. The ratio of net worth between whites and

Hispanics now stands at more than 10, the widest it has been since 2001...

12/6/14

2014 Indianapolis Recorder Article

Link:

http://www.indianapolisrecorder.com/education/article_754cd212-7bc5-11e4-9429-3378c3f36fb8.html#.VIMXoYEor9s.twitter

Indianapolis Recorder

Thursday, December 4, 2014

By VICTORIA DAVIS

Indy native nets $100K in college scholarships

More than five years ago, Shay Spivey of Indianapolis juggled two young children and a low-paying job with very little opportunity to advance.

She desired to return to college to earn a bachelor’s degree after failing to complete her program several years ago following high school. However, every employment position she desired required a college degree, which Spivey knew she couldn’t afford at the time.

After countless hours of research she was awarded over $100,000 in scholarships to continue her education. Today Spivey holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree and works as a mental health and addictions counselor.

Recently, she released her book, "How to Submit A Winning Scholarship Application - Secret Techniques I used to Win $100,000 in College Scholarships" and the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper got a chance to chat with her about her scholarship journey.

What was your initial purpose of seeking scholarships?

Were you in a financially unstable situation or were you simply looking for alternative ways to pay for your higher education?

For me it was no money, no college. Honestly, my situation was being a single parent and working at a low income job. I really wanted to get my degree. I felt stagnant, going nowhere with no opportunities.

How did your search process begin?

With two kids and finance issues, I knew paying out of pocket wasn’t an option so I started researching. I used to spend my lunch break at the library and I always had a book in my hand. As I started reading I realized I truly didn’t know much about scholarships. I started a year in advance and said I was going to give it my all.

Did you believe you would be rewarded more than $100,000?

No, I had no idea and was awarded the money over a course of time. I always encourage people to not skip over the small scholarships. The smaller ones are worth it too and add up. Most people look at those and think they aren’t worth their time so as a result; many people aren’t applying for them. I had quite a few $500 scholarships but a secret I talk about in the book is maintaining a relationship with scholarship organizations. Some key organizations gave me money year after year.

What type of effort and time did it take?

I treated it like a part-time job in the evenings. Eventually I had to map out time because I was in school but needed to begin preparing for the following year. As I got going it was an hour in the evening five days a week. A lot of my scholarships were community service scholarships and many were based off of philanthropy and giving back.

What are some of the misconceptions of applying for scholarships?

The biggest complaint is writing an essay. The way I encourage individuals is by telling them “The essay is about you and nobody can tell your story better than you. It’s your thoughts, your hopes and your dreams.” You need to be able to explain to someone in writing what’s in your head and your heart and why you want to go to school. It’s encouraging and motivating. That writing piece is how they get to know you.

Throughout your research process you’ve gained money to further your education, how do you plan to give that back to the community?

My goal is to help families and individuals go to school without acquiring serious student loan debt. The challenge is, many aren’t taught anything about scholarships and if parents didn’t attend college, it’s hard to teach their kids about scholarships. I read an article that said there is 9 billion in state money for students to go to college. I want to connect people with that money. Education is the key out of poverty.

When did the idea for a book develop and what should readers expect?

I started a scholarship advisor program in 2009 that started off as a blog. The book came because I was giving people one-on-one attention but I wanted to reach a broader audience. I want my community to have access to that 9 billion dollars and learn how to navigate the scholarship system. My goal is to not only help young students but those like me who have children. I knew for the first time in my life I was on the right path because everything fell into place and it wasn’t hard.

For more information about Shay Spivey and her book “How to Submit a Winning Scholarship Application,” visit amazon.com or follow her on Twitter @ShayMSpivey.

12/4/14

List of Women Scholarships

Women Scholarships

Scholarship Advisor Program

Pages

12/21/14

Financial Access to Education Project

12/15/14

Wealth Gap Widens

The Great Recession hit all Americans hard, but only whites have seen their wealth rise during the recent recovery.

12/6/14

2014 Indianapolis Recorder Article

12/4/14

List of Women Scholarships

Women Scholarships

Blog Archive