Today I finished the final touches on a design of a website and blog for a group of students at the University of Maryland. The site is StartDreaming.org. The students formed an elite group, with some faculty supervision, dedicated to helping high school and junior high school students find their financial way to college.
I was asked to help on this project by my daughter, Kamilia. She is a junior at the University of Maryland. She knows the work it takes to earn a scholarship; she put in hours and hours each week studying while she was in high school. She put in time for community service. In short, she planned and prepared well. Now she is attending there on a full Honors scholarship and is a member of the team. I’m very proud of her.
The cost of a college education is a major obstacle for so many students. But with planning, hard work, financial aid/and or scholarships, what might seem an impossible goal, can be the first of many dreams waiting ahead in life.
If you or a family member have plans to go to college but don’t know how to swing it financially, check out the site. There is information there on financial aid, on what courses one needs to take in high school, what tests to take. There is information for parents too. If you know of an outstanding Spanish speaking student, there is a link to a Spanish version of the site as well. There are even rotating inspirational quotes on post-it notes stuck to a bulletin board.
If you live in the metropolitan Washington, DC area, check out some of the events listed in the site’s calendar. It could make a big difference for you.
These kids are driven. They even have lined up sponsors, such as the Consumers Bankers Association and Bank of America, which joined the students this past weekend when they met with a youth group to discuss this topic at a nearby church.
If you have any questions on how to navigate this labyrinth on getting to college in these hard economic times, ask the students at StartDreaming.org. You can email them or join a discussion on their blog.
What might have seemed like an impossible goal is perhaps more attainable than you think. Reaching for it could make a big difference.
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