Scholarship Success
by Kim Stezala
"Are you the scholarship lady?" the young woman asked me as I pushed my shopping cart into the checkout lane. "Yes," I replied, preparing myself for the usual questions that followed. Similar scenarios have happened at libraries, grocery stores and family restaurants. When it comes to free advice, especially about paying for college, people aren’t shy about asking questions. Luckily, I have the answers.
I have devoted my career to helping families reach their educational dreams and along the way I became an expert on scholarships. I met with millionaire donors and aspiring students, and I learned equally from both groups. In this special column for "Milwaukee Community Journal" readers, I will share the inside scoop on how to approach the scholarship process like a professional.
Nationally, scholarship sponsors distribute more than a billion dollars each year in private scholarship money but many students are unaware of these resources. Foundations, colleges and organizations in the Milwaukee area distribute at least three million dollars in scholarships each year to local students. Scholarships do not have to be paid back. If you have a B average, involvement in your school and community, decent writing skills and perseverance, you can win scholarships.
Your plan for scholarship success involves four necessary steps: dream, plan, do more and do better. What does this mean? It means before you complete a scholarship search or fill in an application, you need to invest in yourself.
Dream. If you don’t have a dream or a passion about college then how will you stay focused and motivated when those deadlines approach? What is motivating you? Whether you are the first or fifth person in your family to go to college, there is a reason for your choice. Think about it. Write it down. Share your dream with someone who cares about you.
Plan. Only about half of the students who say they are going to college actually enroll. They did a great job dreaming about college but didn’t plan on how they would pay for it. Scholarship money does not fall from trees.
If you have the grades but not the money, you can not enroll in college. It is essential that you plan time for finding scholarship money and other financial aid.
Do more. Three million high school students are expected to graduate this year from American high schools and about 4,000 will graduate from Milwaukee Public Schools.
While you are not necessarily competing against all students, you are competing against the ones who apply to college and apply for scholarships. You need to invest in yourself and do more than your competition.
Do better. If you do more without doing better then you’re really not going anywhere.
Focus on the details. When reviewing scholarship essays, I often find typos or answers to questions that were never asked.
Winning scholarships is a competition and you must do better than all of the other applicants to make your application shine.
Dream. Plan. Do more. Do better. If you follow these steps plus common sense advice such as meeting deadlines and proofreading your work, you will be on the road to scholarship success.
To start quickly, visit these websites: www.scholarships.com, www.fastweb.com and www.compassguide.org. Beyond the Internet, ask about scholarships at your school guidance office, college financial aid office or the library.
Kim Stezala is a consultant to education and nonprofit organizations. She is writing a book on how to win scholarship money. If you would like to receive free bi-weekly scholarship tips via email, send a message to kim@hardcoverhopes.com. Put "scholarship tips" in the subject line.
Laying the foundation for a new vision of education
As Willie Killins, Jr. of TALC New Vision (seated at right) looks on, Carl Mac addressed the Outlook University Independent School Network’s (OUISN) first annual Early College Model Conference at the Midwest Airlines Center. Mac, who is the executive director of the National Society of Black Engineers, was the keynote speaker during one of the two days of the conference. The goal of the conference was to bring the best minds together to produce a critical lens assessment of a proposed small high school network. A number of representatives from Historical Black Colleges and Universities to help lay the foundation for a successful network of schools. (photo by Harry Kemp)
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Milwaukee Recreation "springs" into action
Milwaukee Recreation’s Spring 2007 Activity Guide is currently being mailed to every city of Milwaukee household. The 56-page booklet contains hundreds of fun and affordable activities for youth, teens, adults, and seniors.
A "searchable" copy is also available at www.Milwaukee-Recreation.net, where the public is encouraged to register online through Friday, April 13.
Milwaukee Recreation’s spring programs include Gardening for Kids, Music Lessons, Sign Language, Gymnastics, the Bully Buster Program, Family Field Trips, Cooking Classes, Dance Workshops, and more.
The new booklet also contains details about Driver Education programs, Team Milwaukee Special Olympics, the Little Nature Museum, Milwaukee’s Community Learning Centers, and the Organization for Active Seniors in Society (O.A.S.I.S.).
Spring sign-up ends on April 13, but classes often fill much sooner. Those who have not received the Activity Guide by March 30 should call (414) 475-8180, visit any Milwaukee Public Library to obtain a copy, or visit www.MilwaukeeRecreation.net.
Milwaukee Recreation is a department of Milwaukee Public Schools, established in 1911 to provide the entire community with affordable and enriching recreational activities.
For more information about Milwaukee Recreation, visit www.MilwaukeeRecreation.net or contact Brian Hoffer at (414) 475-8938.
Research shows race affects tobacco absorption in kids
Northbrook, Illinois--New research suggests that a child’s race may be a factor in determining his/her susceptibility to tobacco toxins associated with environmental tobacco smoke (ETS).
The study, published in the March issue of "CHEST," the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), reveals that African American children with asthma, who are exposed to ETS, have significantly higher toxin levels when compared to their Caucasian counterparts.
"African American children suffer from higher rates of tobacco-related disorders, such as asthma, sudden-infant death syndrome, and low birth weight, and we need to know why," said lead author Stephen Wilson MD, University of Cincinnati.
"So our goal is to understand how certain populations--particularly those groups who are most susceptible--respond to ETS exposure."
Dr. Wilson and colleagues from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center examined 220 tobacco-exposed children with asthma, who had previously participated in the Cincinnati Asthma Prevention study.
Researchers studied a biracial, community-based sample (55% African American) of children ranging in ages 5 to 12. All of the children had physician-diagnosed asthma, symptoms consistent with persistent asthma, and were exposed to at least five cigarettes per day in or around the home.
Researchers tested for levels of cotinine, a nicotine metabolite, by collecting serum and hair samples at baseline, six months, and one year. Serum samples accounted for short-term tobacco exposure and hair samples accounted for long-term tobacco exposure.
"Cotinine is a product of nicotine metabolism. When people inhale or ingest nicotine, the body uses proteins to convert it into cotinine," said Dr. Wilson, "and, currently, measuring cotinine in various biologic specimens is a widely used method for assessing nonsmokers’ exposure to ETS."
Researchers also avoided reporting parental bias by actively measuring levels of tobacco smoke in the home.
Each study participant had a nicotine dosimeter placed in his or her home at baseline and at the six-month visit. These dosimeters were removed at the six-month and one-year visits, and were used to objectively measure each child’s level of ETS exposure.
No racial differences were reported in levels of ETS exposure outside of the home or in air nicotine levels at the six-month or one-year study visits. But, results indicated that while African American children spent less time exposed to ETS, they showed significantly higher levels of cotinine compared to Caucasian children. On average, serum cotinine levels in the African American participants were 32 percent higher than in the Caucasian participants, and hair cotinine levels were four times that of the Caucasian participants.
"Previous studies of adult smokers, as well as cross-sectional studies of nonsmokers have demonstrated similar racial differences in serum cotinine, however, we were surprised at the magnitude of the racial differences in the hair continine," said Dr. Wilson. "African American children may "handle" environmental tobacco smoke differently than White children, so these results raise questions as to whether there are racial differences in other tobacco toxicants, as well."
"Exposure to tobacco smoke is dangerous for everyone, regardless of age or race," said Mark J. Rosen, MD, FCCP, President of the American College of Chest Physicians. "These findings underline the importance of eliminating environmental tobacco smoke in every setting, especially those where children are present."
"CHEST" is a peer-reviewed journal published by the ACCP. It is available online each month at www.chestjournal.org. The journal’s website also provides public access to thousands of archived studies, dating back to 1946--a newly added feature that is free of charge. The ACCP represents 16,600 members who provide clinical respiratory care, sleep medicine, critical care, and cardiothoracic patient care in the United States and throughout the world. For more information about the ACCP, please visit the ACCP Web site at www.chestnet.org. |
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