As a high school freshman attending a Catholic school, I'm wondering if there are scholarships available this early on. I'm trying to plan ahead and ease my parents' financial burden, so any Catholic-specific scholarships or general ones for freshmen would be great.
It'd be awesome to get any recommendations for places to start looking or specific scholarships that others have applied for. Also, do these typically require maintaining certain academic or community involvement standards over the years? Thanks for any guidance!
Firstly, kudos to you for taking this proactive approach towards scholarships and easing the finance burden on your family.
There are indeed several scholarships available for Catholic high school students:
1. The Knights of Columbus - A US-based Catholic fraternal service order, this organization has multiple scholarship programs for Catholic students, including the Fourth Degree Pro Deo & Pro Patria Scholarships, which are annually awarded to freshmen attending Catholic colleges.
2. The Italian Catholic Federation - It offers scholarships to Roman Catholic graduating seniors who are of Italian descent and living within the Roman Catholic Dioceses of Arizona, California, Illinois, and Nevada. Although they target graduating seniors, it's worth keeping them in mind as you progress in high school.
3. The Cappex Catholic Colleges Scholarship - This one awards $1,000 to a high-school student who is intending to attend a Catholic college or university. Again, it's more applicable for students closer to college, but it's good information for future planning.
These are just a few examples, and there may be local diocese or community scholarships available as well. It's always beneficial to reach out to your school's finance or guidance office, as they could have connections to local scholarship opportunities.
Regarding your question about maintaining certain standards, usually, scholarships do require maintaining a certain GPA and involve some level of community service or involvement, especially if they are renewable. Always make sure to read the fine print in scholarship guidelines to understand the renewal criteria. Remember, scholarships not only reward past achievements but also encourage sustained excellence.
Good luck in your search, and congratulations again on taking these responsible steps to secure your education.
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