Blue Water College Access Network

Welcome to your resource for planning, preparing, and going to college after high school. Blue Water College Access Network is here to provide information and opportunities that will ensure you graduate confidently prepared, with plans for career and college beyond high school. Whether you choose to go on to earn a bachelor's degree, an associate degree, or an industry credential, we can help you get there!

Each month, we will publish a newsletter to keep you on track, informed, and engaged in college activities provided by organizations across the county. To subscribe to the newsletter, submit your email address using this form. Past editions of the newsletter can be found at bwcan.org. Contact Nick Beaudry with any questions you might have at beaudry.nick@sccresa.org.

The Blue Water College Access Network has put together resources for seniors contemplating their next steps after graduation. The College Planning To-Do List for the Class of 2022 is a checklist of things graduating high school seniors can do now to stay on track with their career and college plans for fall 2022.

Soon-to-be grads (and families) can also check out the webinar recording Graduation & Beyond: Your College & Career Plans below. It is filled with advice and tips from a panel of current college students to help make the transition from high school to college a smooth one. Whether you’re attending a university, community college, or trade school, our panel of college students will provide vital information for the summer and discuss lessons learned in their first year of college.

Spring is a vital time for transitioning your career and college plans to next Fall. Join us for our Spring Series featuring three live, virtual events to about the several steps you can be taking this spring and summer to ensure a successful next Fall.

If you were unable to attend the Parent Panel in March, catch up by watching the video below. Videos from past events can be found at bwcan.org or on YouTube.

Michigan College Access Network (MCAN) explains:

Earlier this month, the Michigan Department of Treasury announced the FAFSA priority deadline has been extended to May 1, 2022. For the 2022-23 academic year, FAFSA submissions received at the federal processor on or before May 1 will be given priority consideration for the Michigan Competitive Scholarship and Michigan Tuition Grant.

So what does this mean for students? The Michigan priority deadline is not a hard deadline, but submitting the FAFSA before May 1 maximizes students' access to the Michigan Competitive Scholarship and Michigan Tuition Grant. After that date, other state financial aid opportunities are still available. The Michigan Competitive Scholarship and Michigan Tuition Grant may also be available after the priority deadline, depending on how much funding remains after scholarships are awarded to students who submitted by May 1. The federal FAFSA deadline is June 30, 2023 (that's next year!), so even if a student misses the May 1 deadline, they still have plenty of time to file the FAFSA and see if they qualify for Pell Grants or other financial aid opportunities.

In other words, it's (almost) never to late to file the FAFSA!

Learn more at FAFSA.gov →

The SC4 Career Fair is scheduled for Thur. April 28 from 2-5 pm in the SC4 Fieldhouse. One hundred businesses will be hiring local talent for full-time, part-time and seasonal positions. You can find a list of participating companies at www.sc4.edu/careerfair. This event is open to students, alumni and community.

TEC students brought home an impressive 18 medals at the state SkillsUSA Leadership

Conference held April 8-10 in Grand Rapids. Forty-one TEC students from eight programs competed at the state-level competition. The seven gold medal winners — Jacob McEachin, Emma O’Connell (Model: Skylar Soulliere), Sierra Kelly (Model: Hannah Gombos), William Wideman, and Curtis Dresser — will be advancing to the National SkillsUSA competition in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 20–24. SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit organization serving more than 310,000 high school and college students preparing for careers in trade, technical, and skilled service occupations. The SkillsUSA competition is an annual event designed to gauge students’ mastery of various career-oriented skills and showcase the nation's best career and technical education students. Congratulations to our SkillsUSA participants for their hard work during after-school practice sessions with dedicated TEC instructors and paraprofessionals.

View photographs from the competitions on TEC’s Facebook page at:

https://www.facebook.com/StClairTEC

The Michigan College Access Network (MCAN) has compiled a list of Michigan colleges with no application fee during the 2021-22 school year.

Each month, counselors can find current college and career counseling information and professional learning opportunities in the Counselor Corner section of the BWCAN newsletter. A running compilation of opportunities can also be found on the Counselors page at bwcan.org.

Registration is now open for the 2022-23 cycle of College Bound Michigan, MCAN's suite of initiatives designed to build and support college-going cultures in high schools and their surrounding communities. This program helps school counselors, college advisers, and other educators create systems and practices that connect all students with the opportunity for formal education beyond high school, including postsecondary certificates and academic degrees.

CBMI brings together all of the statewide initiatives — Michigan College Month, College Cash Campaign, and College Decision Day — into one campaign to help bring Michigan closer to Sixty by 30. Click the register button below to learn more and sign up. Current CBMI sites, be sure to register to ensure you are included as a host site for next year! Registration will remain open through the fall, but signing up now ensures timely delivery of resources and takes something off your summer/fall to-do list.

Why should my school sign up?

As a CBMI Host Site, you will have access to:

• Exclusive grant opportunities
• Promotional materials
• Student-facing, grab-and-go resources
• Counselor/adviser-facing toolkits and implementation guides
• Professional development opportunities
  

REGISTER

Questions?

Contact Kiersten Nolan, MCAN’s strategy assistant for high school innovation, with any questions about CBMI eligibility or programming at 517-316-1713 or kiersten@micollegeaccess.org.

Michigan College Access Network is proud to partner with Xello to host a new series of professional development webinars for K-12 educators in Michigan. Together with Xello, a modern college, career, and future readiness software, we are excited to offer this opportunity to our network.

We will be co-hosting a free 8-part monthly webinar series that will focus on timely topics like how to address disrupted learning and how to use your limited time to best serve students applying for college. You don't need to commit to the whole series; register for the topics that fit your interests and schedule. Earn SCECHs while learning how to use Xello to meet Michigan's Career Development Program requirements and help your students build their Educational Development Plans.

Upcoming Sessions:

April 26: Expansion Ideas to Level Up Your CCR Program

See how Xello features can reduce the amount of inbound inquiries you receive at this time of the year. Plus, hear tips on how to get through this busy season.

May 17: CCR Year in Review - Strategies for 2022/23

Join our panel to hear the importance of a K-12 approach, and how to launch and improve a K-12 college & career readiness program that prioritizes student engagement in future planning.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER

Email: beaudry.nick@sccresa.org
Website: bwcan.org
Location: 499 Range Road, Marysville, MI, USA
Phone: 810.455.4261
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlueWaterCAN/
Twitter: @BlueWaterCAN