Frank X. Moraga
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805
Yes, it’s time for my annual plea. Back-to-school time should not only be the season where parents rush to local department stores and stand in long lines to buy school supplies for their children. It’s also the time for parents, especially those of incoming high school seniors, to work with their children to plan out their scholarship effort if they want to go onto college.
As a former scholarship reader for Ventura County Community Foundation I can tell you many of the student scholarship applicants were well prepared, taking advance placement classes and doing extensive community service volunteer work. Many also wrote great essays on the reasons why they want to go to college, or enter a particular career, many with heart-tugging stories about a friend, family member or incident in their life that set them on that path.
But other students could be seen padding their high school resume at the last minute, taking part in a one-time canned food drive, and not giving their full measure to community service. Those were easy to spot.
The more community service-minded students began in their freshman year of high school, tutoring other students, taking part in a variety of events to help those in need, with some even taking part in programs where they visited other countries to help build homes, schools and orphanages. While it is tough for students to play catch-up with community service during their final year in high school, it is possible, but they need to start from day one of the school year.
There are of course students who can’t do extensive community service, those who are an important economic contributor in a struggling family, the primary afterschool caretaker of their younger siblings or their aging parents. Those students who talked about those challenges in their families also rated high in our scoring.
The time is now to start researching future scholarship opportunities.
The Hispanic Scholarship Fund awards more than 150 types of scholarships. Visit their website at http://hsf.net.
Scholarship.com has a number of Hispanic-oriented scholarships listed on its website. Visit https://www.scholarships.com/financial-aid/college-scholarships/scholarships-by-type/minority-scholarships/hispanic-scholarships/ for more information.
And of course, visit http://vccf.org for information on its next scholarship application period.
VCCF recently awarded nearly $1.3 million in scholarships at its Scholarship Awards Reception at the Ventura County Office of Education. The event was attended by more than 400 students, their families and the donors who made the awards possible. Almost 270 local students received 323 scholarships from the community foundation for college and career training. This included the Sean Stephen Harris Memorial Scholarship for a graduating Adolfo Camarillo High School student. Harris, who died suddenly at the end of his junior year, would have graduated with his ACHS classmates this year. Since its founding in 1987, the Ventura County Community Foundation has awarded more than $10.7 million in scholarships and is the local leader in granting financial aid to Ventura County youth.
“These scholarships are made possible by the hundreds of donors who wish to invest in the future of Ventura County, and what better way than to support our youth,” said Hugh Ralston, outgoing VCCF president and CEO. “These scholarships make the difference for many Ventura County students. One student noted his scholarship meant he could make a living with his brain and not his back. The opportunity to go to college can change a student, a family and a community for the better.”
VCCF’s annual scholarship season would be impossible without the dozens of volunteers who work for months behind the scenes after the January application deadline, so here is a big thank you to all of the volunteers. Your continued dedication is very much appreciated.
— Frank X. Moraga is editor/publisher of Amigos805. He has served as business editor, director of diversity and general manager of a bilingual publication at the Ventura County Star, and as a reporter in the community editions of the Orange County Register and Los Angeles Daily News. He can be reached at fmoraga@amigos805.com