February 2024

Welcome to the February edition of the College Now Student Newsletter! Read on for information on our in-person and virtual workshops, scholarship opportunities and more! 

Be sure to pass along this information to your parent(s)/guardian(s) and feel free to reach out to your College Now advisor for any questions or additional details. College Now is dedicated to supporting YOU throughout your educational journey. 

Completing the FAFSA unlocks significant financial aid opportunities for students across the country, such as the Federal Pell Grant- a need-based grant that does not require repayment. This grant is specifically available to undergraduate students demonstrating exceptional financial need.  

In the 2023-2024 academic year, students could receive a maximum of $7,395 based on their expected family contribution (EFC). Starting from the 2024-2025 school year, applications will utilize the Student Aid Index (SAI). The grant amount is also determined by factors such as the institution's cost of attendance, expected enrollment and enrollment status. For further details on the Pell Grant and other financial aid options, visit studentaid.gov or consult with one of your College and Career Access Advisors. 

Need help completing your FAFSA?



Join us at one of our FREE, informative in-person workshops below for assistance and guidance on to complete your application.

Cleveland Central Catholic

Saturday, February 10

9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Cuyahoga County

Public Library

Mayfield Branch

Tuesday, February 20

6 - 8 p.m.

Cuyahoga Community College

Metropolitan Campus

Saturday, February 24

10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Cuyahoga Community College

Metropolitan Campus

Wednesday, March 6

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Cuyahoga Community College

Metropolitan Campus

Thursday, March 7

2 - 6 p.m.

Cuyahoga County

Public Library

Maple Heights Branch

Thursday, March 7

6 - 8 p.m.

Can't make it in-person? Check out our virtual workshop session!

FAFSA Fundamentals Step-by-Step Online Workshop 

An interactive workshop detailing how to fill out the FAFSA form line-by-line. Turn confusion into clarity with expert guidance, ensuring every section is completed accurately. 

College Now Traditional Scholarship

Application Deadline: March 27

In order to qualify, students must:

• Attend a College Now served high school
• Have a cumulative weighted GPA of at least a 2.5 through their first semester of their senior year
• Have a minimum ACT composite score of 18 or combined verbal and math SAT score of 960
• File the 2024-2025 FAFSA / FAFSA Submission Summary
• Qualify for the Federal Pell Grant
• Show ambition by working with your College Now advisor
• Submit the required documents by the deadline

Cleveland Foundation Scholarships managed by College Now

Application Deadline: March 15

College Now manages more than 60 Cleveland Foundation scholarships. These scholarships vary in criteria and scope, and there is something for nearly everyone.

By completing the general application, students can be considered for dozens of scholarships. Please note that while the general application covers many scholarships, others require a separate application.



The Malone Scholarship managed by College Now

Application Deadline: March 6

The Malone family is looking for students with passion, drive, energy, a sense of humor and financial need. There is no tangible list of requirements.

If you receive the Malone Scholarship, you will be joining the diverse Malone scholarship family. Students of all races, religions, ethnic backgrounds and sexual orientations are welcome in the Malone Scholarship family. 



Phi Beta Kappa Scholarship managed by College Now 

Application Deadline: March 6 

The Phi Beta Kappa Scholarship is for students who are in the top 10% of their high school graduating class, have high test scores and plan to pursue a liberal arts or humanities major. Students should have a love of learning and be active in the school and community. This $1,000 scholarship is renewable. Students must be attending a College Now served high school in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina and Summit Counties. 

Cleveland Browns Foundation Marion Motley Scholarship managed by College Now

Application Deadline: March 5

The Cleveland Browns Foundation Marion Motley Scholarship Program presents an exciting opportunity for driven students with aspirations of pursuing careers in education or within professional sports organizations, across a spectrum of roles. Through the collaborative efforts of the Cleveland Browns Foundation and College Now, over $360,000 in scholarship funds has been granted to 36 deserving individuals.

External Scholarship Opportunities

While College Now offers plenty of internal and managed scholarships, we also encourage and support students in exploring external scholarship opportunities.

Cavaliers Scholarship Program

Deadline: Friday, February 16

The Cleveland Cavaliers Community Foundation and Huntington are offering $50,000 in scholarship funds to Northeast Ohio high school seniors. Through the Scholarship Program, five graduating seniors will be awarded a $10,000 scholarship to attend college, vocational/trade school or similar education course that will provide a certification or degree during the 2024-2025 academic year. The 2023-24 scholarship recipients will be recognized during the Cavs game on Friday, April 12. In addition, five semifinalists will receive a $1,000 Huntington savings account.  

Manufacturing Sector Partnership Scholarship Program

Deadline: Wednesday, March 27

The Workforce Connect Manufacturing Sector Partnership is a collaboration of manufacturing employers in Northeast Ohio working together to ensure that the industry is a growth engine for the people and economy of Northeast Ohio.  The Manufacturing Sector Partnership (MSP) Scholars Program is one way that this collaboration is investing their resources to unlock an abundance of diverse, skilled people that can access, thrive in, and love their career in manufacturing.  Specifically, the program will support the academic achievement and social capital development of African American students pursuing a degree in engineering or manufacturing-related technologies who are interested in launching a career in Northeast Ohio's manufacturing industry. 

Resettled Refugee Visible Voice Scholarship 

Deadline: Wednesday, April 3

Applicants must be a resettle refugee living in Cuyahoga County, be a graduating high school senior 

in spring 2024, intend to enroll full-time at an accredited public or private not-for-profit institution and demonstrate a 2.0 cumulative GPA. The scholarship is renewable for up to four years. 

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Scholarship

Deadline: Wednesday, February 28

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. is a private, international organization with over 355,000 members worldwide. Lambda Phi Omega Chapter is one of the sorority’s 1,064 chapters. As part of their commitment to higher education, Lambda Phi Omega Chapter annually awards scholarships to deserving Cuyahoga County seniors.  

Jane Edna Hunter Scholarship  

Deadline: Thursday, April 25

The Jane Edna Hunter Scholarship provides need-based financial assistance for full-time undergraduate women under the age of 30 who are residents of Ohio or South Carolina. 

Marcia LaRichie Scholarship

Deadline: Wednesday, May 1

The Marcia LaRiche Scholarship was established to assist dependent children of parents who have been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and who live in Northeast Ohio.

Stay on track by checking off items from the lists below! 

Freshmen

• Ask your counselor for more information on College Credit Plus (CCP) or Advanced Placement.  
• Participate in a college affordability night presentation with a parent or guardian to learn about financial aid. 
• Use your school’s college & career planning tool to explore different careers and complete a career or interest survey. Review videos about careers that align with your interests. 

Sophomores

• Advanced Placement students: register for AP exams.
• Review first semester grades and evaluate your cumulative GPA.
• Continue to participate in career exploration by signing up for College Now's Xplore program or using your school's college & career planning tool.
• Explore diverse summer opportunities such as a seasonal job, internship, volunteer position, summer camp or an opportunity on a college campus.
• Review your school’s course catalog for next year and work with your counselor to set your junior year schedule. Enroll in challenging courses.
• Use your college & career planning tool or another resource to begin researching colleges. Develop a list of at least five colleges and universities that interest you. Start visiting some colleges and include small, medium and large campuses in your search.
• Determine if you are on track to meet your SMART goal for the year. 
• Check out the news, read articles and books and get your writing skills on point with some practice. 

Juniors

• Work with your school counselor to set your senior schedule and ensure you are on track to graduate. Enroll in challenging courses.
• Learn about and register for College Credit Plus (CCP) courses.
• Research colleges or other options for post-high school, such as training programs and apprenticeships.
• Continue to explore different career options and goals. Set up a job shadowing opportunity. Register for College Now’s Xplore program to learn about different areas of study for certain career paths.
• Work on your resume.
• Explore summer opportunities on college campuses.
• Begin studying for the in-school ACT or SAT and participate in College Now’s impact! program for expert college entrance exam preparation and career exploration.

Seniors

• Complete your FAFSA now and then confirm that it has been successfully processed. Errors can potentially slow down the financial aid process and reduce awards. 
• Contact admissions offices to confirm that they have received your complete set of application materials.
• Schedule admissions interviews if needed.
• Continue to apply for scholarships.
• Continue to check your college student portal for announcements and items on your “to do” list.

As a parent, think about what you can do with your student over the spring and summer. February is a great time to have discussions about career exploration and planning college visits.

All Grades

• Attend parent/teacher conferences.
• Gather your tax information. Filing your taxes on time by the April 15 deadline will help with your student’s financial aid applications. 
• Check to make sure your student's GPA is on track.
• For freshmen and sophomores, earning and maintaining a 2.5 or higher GPA is ideal.
• For juniors and seniors, earning a 3.0 or higher is critical for admissions, scholarships and other forms of financial aid.



Sophomores and Juniors

• Browse summer employment opportunities and internships offered by Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U.).

Seniors

• If you have not done so, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• Support your student’s search for scholarships.  

College Now offers several college access services to students outside of school hours. These programs are open to all high school students in Northeast Ohio, and any high school student can participate at any location!

Find your career passion and travel the country with Xplore!

Xplore is College Now’s after school program that focuses on college and career readiness, travel and finding the major that’s best for students. Each session focuses on a meta-major that students deep-dive into.

The most exciting part? A weeklong trip is associated with each meta-major!

External Program Opportunities

When reviewing applications, colleges look for experiences alongside your GPA. Explore the opportunities below for a chance to improve your leadership skills and get ready for college success!

Ohio State Buckeye Student Leadership Opportunity  

Application Deadline:

Friday, March 1 

Princeton Summer

Journalism Program  



Application Deadline:

Friday, February 15 

The Buckeye Student Leadership Academy is hosted by Undergraduate Admissions at The Ohio State University. The program combines a one-day kickoff conference on Ohio State's Columbus campus with monthly virtual sessions. BSLA is a special program for high-achieving rising seniors from Ohio high schools who are first-generation, rural, or underrepresented-minority students. Students apply for the program during their junior year.  

The Princeton Summer Journalism Program is a year-long college preparation program for high school juniors who are interested in journalism. For the summer of 2024, the program will take advantage of lessons learned during our three virtual summers to offer our first ever multi-week, hybrid summer intensive, which will culminate in our annual 10-day residential institute on the Princeton University campus in New Jersey. 

Register for an upcoming college entrance exam today! We encourage you to take at least two exams before applying to college. Check with your College Now advisor about the steps needed for registration.

Check with your College Now advisor about how to register for these tests.

Why should you test? It is recommended that students take at least two entrance exams before submitting college applications. Scoring well on entrance exams can increase a student’s eligibility for merit-based aid and special scholarships. Although many institutions across the nation no longer require entrance exams, College Now encourages students to take at least two exams before graduating. Plus, colleges/universities may require a test score for specific academic majors and scholarships.  

See you next month! In the meantime, reach out to your

College Now advisor!

Post Office Plaza

1500 West 3rd Street, Suite 125

Cleveland, OH 44113

216.241.5587

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