“The investment in the education of young people is important in the future of any country,” Mexican Consul Socorro Rovirosa said Monday during a news conference at the Salt Lake City Main Library. “We must help these young people to continue their studies.”

The University of Utah and Utah Valley University each received $20,000 in scholarships. The Mexican Consulate also provided $20,000 each to the SOMOS Foundation, a scholarship program through the Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; and the adult education program at Centro de la Familia de Utah, a nonprofit agency devoted to strengthening the Latino community in Utah. More…

Nickerson, a Murray High student, is like many high school seniors tasked with planning for his soon-to-be college future while having his last high school hurrahs.

“I tried to get some scholarships, but there’s still going to be a lot to cover,” he said Tuesday. “I haven’t thought about how I’m going to do that yet.”

Higher education officials say there’s still time for Nickerson and others in the class of 2011 to make necessary decisions about financial aid and their academic futures.

David Feitz, the executive director of the Utah Higher Education Assistance Authority, said it’s not too late for graduating seniors to save up for tuition and apply for scholarships in addition to government grants and loans.

Feitz said the Free Application for Federal Student Aid is a great tool that is oftentimes overlooked by teens and their families.

“Completing that FAFSA is the number one step that every student should start with,” he said.

After filling out the FAFSA, students learn if they qualify for Pell Grants, which are needs-based federal grants that don’t have to be paid back. The maximum Pell Grant amount is $5,550 per school year.

Feitz said there are numerous private and public scholarships that are still available and recommended students search for scholarship opportunities at websites like FastWeb and FinAid.org.

To read the rest of this article from the Deseret News, click here.

Officials predict more than 2,000 students will qualify for Regents and New Century scholarships this fall, costing taxpayers about $4.3 million for the 2011-12 academic year.

That’s money well spent, says Commissioner of Higher Education William Sederburg and other officials, who have lobbied lawmakers in recent years to ensure adequate revenue to support the promised incentives.

Participation in the Regents scholarship program has climbed steeply since its inception in 2008, while students qualifying for New Century scholarships, which requires them to earn an associate degree by high school graduation, dipped this year, thanks to tough new requirements.

The growth in the Regents program is gratifying for the lawmaker who sponsored the enabling legislation and for Rich Kendell, who first championed the idea as Sederburg’s predecessor.

“It’s doing exactly what it should, signaling to young people all over the state that taking rigorous courses means something,” Kendell said. “It not only results in a scholarship, but really prepares them for college.”

Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan, hopes someday the Regents scholarship will replace New Century. A recent study showed that New Century scholars often take nearly four years to graduate, suggesting the program is not accomplishing its goal of speeding students to their bachelor’s degrees.

“I like the fact that [the exemplary Regent is] tougher to get than the New Century. It is focused on gearing kids for college. This is a way to reach the kids who are in the middle,” said Hillyard.

To read the rest of this article from the Salt Lake Tribune, click here.

Physics majors Linsey Johnson and Brian Tracy and biochemistry major Brooke Siler are recipients this year of the award administered by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, named for the late Arizona senator and 1964 presidential candidate.

“Our students’ fantastic showing in this year’s competition demonstrates the commitment of our faculty to give students exceptional opportunities to get involved in hands-on research very early in their academic careers,” said a news release quoting Christie Fox, director of USU’s Honors program.

Under a program set up by Congress in 1986, the award, which carries a $7,500 scholarship, is reserved for sophomores and juniors who show exceptional achievement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. They are expected to pursue doctorates in these so-called STEM fields.

To read the rest of this article in the Salt Lake Tribune, click here.

UHEAA participates in several scholarship programs for Utah students, and two of them have fast-approaching deadlines.

Utah Jump$tart Scholarship Coalition/UHEAA Scholarship

• How much: Five scholarships for $1,000 each
• How to get it: The eligibility and application information is available on the UHEAA Facebook Page and at http://UtahJumpstart.org
• Who: Utah high school seniors who have completed or are enrolled in the financial literacy course required for graduation
• When: Deadline is April 1st
• Why you should apply for this scholarship: It’s a local scholarship, with a small pool of applicants, so your chances of winning are pretty good. And, it helps you to consider your financial future!

Utah High School Film Festival: Scholarship PSA Award

• How much: First place, $4,000. Second place, $3,000. Third place, $2,000. Most popular (based on number of views on YouTube), $1,000.
• How to get it: Details are online at the UHEAA Facebook Page and the Utah High School Film Festival Page
• When: Deadline is April 1st
• Why you should apply for this scholarship: Not only could you possibly win a scholarship, but they are pretty hefty chunks of change! Also, this has a small applicant pool as well, and you get to create something for your portfolio by submitting an entry for this. Even if you don’t win one of the first three prizes, you might be able to get the most people to watch your video on YouTube and collect a cool $1,000 anyway!

We’d love to see you apply for these! Good luck.

I have one word to describe many of these conversations: delusional.

It’s delusion that soothes many parents who know they haven’t saved as much as they could have saved, and/or those who cheer their children on to go to their college of choice regardless of the cost. They think if their child gets superior grades, can play an instrument exceptionally well or is a star athlete, he or she will qualify for substantial financial assistance.

Some will. Most won’t.

If you need a reality check or, most importantly, strategies to win what money is out there, I’m recommending as the Color of Money Book Club selection this month “Secrets to Winning a Scholarship” by Mark Kantrowitz. The book, available exclusively on Amazon.com, costs $9.95, and $5.95 on Kindle.

Kantrowitz is one of the leading experts on college financing and is the publisher of Fastweb.com, a free scholarship matching service, and FinAid.com, which provides some of the best financial aid information available online.

Kantrowitz starts out with some truth-telling. The fact is, very few students receive enough scholarships and grants (including state and federal need-based and non-need-based aid) to cover all college costs. Of the students enrolled full time at four-year colleges in the 2007-08 school year, only 0.3 percent (be sure you read that right: not 3 percent but 0.3 percent) received enough money to cover the full cost of attendance, according to Kantrowitz, whose statistics come from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study and analyses of various Fastweb databases.

Only about one in 10 undergraduate students in bachelor’s degree programs wins a private scholarship, on average about $2,800 a year.

To read the rest of this article from the Washington Post, click here.

Now as I look forward to attending the college of my dreams, I am grateful for my high school experience and the challenging courses I took.

And, did I mention I’ll be receiving a substantial scholarship money for the first four semesters of college? Thank you, Utah State Board of Regents for creating a scholarship opportunity for anyone who is willing to work hard.

Hayley Newell

Alpine

To read this in the Deseret News, click here.