Things Made Need After High School

Whether you begin summer or fall classes, your final high school transcript will be sent to the college/university you requested on your senior survey by mid-June. We cannot guarantee that it can be sent an earlier due to waiting for district clearances.

James Hendricks & Hollye Hendricks

St. Cloud High School, Harmony High School, Tohopekaliga High School, Zenith

Educational Opportunity Center

Phone Number: 407-931-6187

Hollyehendricks.eoc@gmail.com

Jameshendricks03.eoc@gmail.com

Dr. Terrace Brown

Gateway High School, Celebration High School, Poinciana High School, Liberty High School, OVS, OCSA, PATHS

Educational Opportunity Center

Phone Number: 407-931-6187

terracebrown@mac.com

terracebrown@me.com

The Educational Opportunity Center is a district-approved vendor supporting our district high schools postsecondary planning.

• Apply to Valencia or Osceola Technical College and register for at least one course, an Accelerated Skills Training program, or an Osceola Technical Program in Summer 2024, Fall 2024, or Spring 2025.
• Complete the 2024-25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by July 15, 2024 (for fall enrollment), or by December 1, 2024 (for spring enrollment). Students not eligible to complete the FAFSA may self-certify they are not able to do so.

Through Osceola Prosper, Osceola County will provide:

• Free application to Valencia College
• Scholarships to cover tuition and fees of one program:
• Associate in Arts degree
• Associate in Science degree
• Technical Certificate
• Accelerated Skills Training

If you plan to attend oTECH, you will need to contact the oTECH office about details for your next steps to enrollment and your specific program details.

Your steps will include the following:

1. Complete the OTECH application.
2. Do your 2024-2025 FAFSA.
3. Meet with your OTECH advisor.
4. Ensure you have your start date and all paperwork submitted for your specific program.

Use the link below to access your next steps for Valencia College registration. If you are attending Valencia in the Fall 2024, you need to ensure you have your steps completed and you know how to access important features in your Atlas account.

• High School Transcript Received
• Test scores
• Florida Residency
• Course Registration
• Advising Meetings
• Financial Aid

Valencia College will need test scores to determine what classes you can register for. If your SAT or ACT scores are under two years old and you meet the qualifying test score requirement, you will need to send your SAT or ACT scores to Valencia college.

If you do not have qualifying test scores, you can take the PERT exam for free at a Valencia campus.

Sending Test Scores to a College

SAT - www.collegeboard.org

ACT - www.actstudent.org

Student Customer Service

SAT: 866-756-7346

ACT: 319-337-1270

Your official high school transcript will be sent to Valencia College to verify that you are a high school graduate. You need to request your official Valencia College transcript to be sent to your new college from your Atlas account. If you don't do this, it can affect your financial aid.

Need to know if Valencia received your final high school transcript?

• Log into your Atlas account.
• Click on the "Students" tab.
• In the middle of the page in the "My Transcripts" box, click on High School Transcripts.
• Y indicates your transcript has been processed.

If you are planning on staying at Valencia AFTER high school graduation, you must do the following:

• Submit Florida Residency documents. Check the section "Florida Bright Futures Scholarship" for details.
• Complete the 2024-2025 FAFSA. This is a requirement to receive Osceola Prosper Scholarship.
• Check your Atlas email frequently for holds, balances owed, and registration status.

Your college campus may have adjusted hours in the summer or may even be closed on Fridays. Before you take a day off from work or choose to do a campus visit, be sure you check to see the campus summer office hours.

Your college or new school will communicate with you in your college student portal. You may have an email inbox in your student portal account. You need to check your student account almost every day - just in case you miss vital information or an email or task list informing you of what you are missing for documentation, financial aid, residency, class registration, and more. You cannot use the excuse of "I didn't know" because you are expected to know what's going on. It seems like a lot to learn, but you will learn the terminology. Trust me. Check your email. Check your student portal account.

How do I know if my final transcript will be sent?

If your senior survey was completed accurately, your college & career counselor will have your final high school transcript sent to the college or program you requested on the senior survey.

Can I send my own copy of my transcript to my college?

No. An official transcript can only be considered an "official transcript" if it's sent from the high school official.

When will my transcript be sent?

Official Transcripts will be sent approximately in mid-June.

What if I need it sent to a different college or my college didn't receive them yet?

Be patient. It can take up to three weeks for an official transcript to be processed. If you need to have your transcript sent to another college or program, call your school office and request to speak to the guidance secretary or data clerk to process this request.

Your counselor has already sent your official transcript to the NCAA or NAIA. If you are just receiving eligibility and need your transcript after high school graduation, you may send an email including your full name, date of birth, and high school ID# or NCAA or NAIA number.

Contact your high school's guidance office to determine which counselor or administrator supervises the NCAA or NAIA portal requests.

• STUDENT PORTAL: Create your student portal account and get familiar with the features, such as email inbox, online platform, financial aid tab, courses, etc.
• HOUSING: Complete your housing form & pay housing fees. Pick your room on time!
• FLORIDA RESIDENCY: Complete your Florida residency paperwork. Residency is based on your parent or legal guardian's residency status in proving that they have lived in Florida for 12 consecutive months.
• FINANCIAL AID: Submit required documentation for financial aid & be sure you don't have a balance to pay.
• HEALTH INSURANCE: Show proof of or get health insurance by the college's deadline.
• IMMUNIZATION: Complete immunization forms. This may include COVID vaccinations.
• STUDENT ORIENTATION: Register and attend student orientation.
• PARENT ORIENTATION: Be sure your parent/legal guardian register and attend the parent orientation, if required.
• COURSES: Enroll in classes. Know the process for class enrollment. In some cases, an advisor may be the one to enroll you in your classes. Be sure you know the process.
• VALENCIA TRANSCRIPTS: If you attended Valencia College, request your Valencia College transcript to be sent to your new college in your Atlas account. Check here for steps: https://tinyurl.com/awfdzsuj
• STUDENT ID#: Memorize your student ID#.
• BOOKS: Know how and when to pick your classes and order textbooks.
• DORM: Know the status of your housing & dorm arrangements and move-in date.

If you do not prove Florida Residency, your tuition costs will double.

• Your parent/or legal guardian will be the one to establish residency for you. Select one parent and all of the documents used must be from that one parent.
• If the parent has a different last name from you, you need to provide your birth certificate.
• If the parent has the same last name as you, you do not need the birth certificate.
• To establish residency your parent has to have lived in Florida for 12 consecutive months.
• You need a clear picture of your parent/legal guardian's Florida driver's license or ID.
• You may choose to use the parent's Florida voter registration or Florida vehicle registration.
• If your parent/legal guardian cannot find their Florida voter registration, you or the parent can find it here, as long as you have the date of birth and correct name: https://registration.elections.myflorida.com/checkvoterstatus.
• Check your college's admission or advising office if you need further guidance on submitting your Florida residency documentation.

Legal Guardianship

Your legal guardian is considered a legal guardian only if you have court documentation to prove this. Educational guardianship is not legal guardianship.

• ACADEMIC ADVISOR/COACH: This is the individual assigned to help you create an education plan of classes you need each semester until you graduate. They can also assist with knowing what major aligns with specific careers.
• FINANCIAL AID ADVISOR: This individual is responsible for ensuring that documents have been submitted for financial aid purposes and ensures your scholarships, loans, and grants are correctly placed in your student account.
• MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELORS: Colleges have a team and a network assigned to meeting the needs of students' mental and emotional health. Your mental health is important. Use it!
• CAMPUS SECURITY: Get familiar with your campus and campus security. Get your student parking decal and/or student IDs.

Your Bright Futures Scholarship Application Deadline is August 31, 2024 for the Class of 2024.

When is the Bright Futures Scholarship application due?

You will need to complete the FFAA (Florida Financial Aid Application) no later than August 31, 2024 to claim your scholarship. Use the Bright Futures Scholarship button below for directions on how to complete the application.

What happens after I submit the FFAA application?

After submitting the FFAA, the student is responsible for tracking their application and award status online, keeping OSFA informed of any demographic or institutional changes, and ensuring that funding for an academic year is accurate by contacting their institution’s financial aid office.

When is my last day to submit community service hours or work paid hours?

Community service hours and/or work paid hours will need to be submitted to your assigned counselor no later than the last day of graduation practice - May 29,2024 by 2:30PM. Your community service hours and work paid hours must be submitted on the Bright Futures log form. If you are submitting work paid hours, be sure to attach copies of your paystubs reflecting the hours worked in the specific pay periods.

What is the last ACT or SAT I can take for Bright Futures?

You may take the following test dates for Bright Futures eligibility:

SAT June 1, 2024 (Late Registration Deadline: May 21, 2024)

ACT June 8, 2024 (Late Registration Deadline: May 17, 2023)

How do I send my test scores to Bright Futures?
You will need to be sure you send your test scores to a Florida state college or university (i.e. UCF) to have your test scores viewed by the Bright Futures Office.

If I choose to attend Valencia College or OTECH and I have earned the Bright Futures Scholarship, can I defer Bright Futures so I can use the Prosper Scholarship?

Bright Futures recipients who did not receive funding immediately following high school graduation must apply within five years after high school graduation to reinstate the award. A Florida Academic Scholar (FAS) or Florida Medallion Scholar (FMS) may receive funding for up to five years from high school graduation for a maximum of 120 semester hours (or equivalent) toward the completion of a certificate or a first baccalaureate degree, the scholarship will end with whichever of these comes first.

For more information on this process, contact the Bright Futures Office.

Can my counselor help me with getting my Bright Futures Scholarship?

• The guidance office will add your service hours and work paid hours to Focus.
• Your final transcript will be sent to the Bright Futures Office in mid-June, after transcripts are finalized.
• If there is an error on your transcript, you can reach out to the guidance for assistance.

For other questions, contact the Bright Futures Office:

EMAIL: osfa@fldoe.org

PHONE:888-827-2004

WEBSITE: https://www.floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org/SAPBFMAIN/SAPBFMAIN

ALCO offers English courses (ESOL), GED courses, and adult basic education. Most of the courses are free to the community.

2320 New Beginnings Road, Kissimmee, FL 34744

407-518-8140

ALCO website: https://www.osceolaschools.net/alco

Check out the ALCO programs: https://www.osceolaschools.net/domain/617

Social media is everything! Let's face it: when you check out someone's social media handle you are being nosy and making a judgement on their followers, pictures, content, and likes. I guarantee you that at some point, your college or job has googled you and searched your social media. They are looking to see what kind of content you are putting out there. If a pastor or teacher had a wild sphere of content on their social media, you would look at them sideways because they are not upholding the standard of their profession.

You are free to be you and I want you to be you. But an employer or a college does not want you as a liability for their environment. You need to ensure your social media is not showcasing obscene photos, cursing, slurs, and R-rated content. It simply isn't a good look. Don't give the excuse of "it's 2022 and people should not judge". Yes, that's true. But, we judge and criticize anyway. There are more biases and stereotypes out there in the way. Don't let something as simple as your social media be a distraction from what your goals are. You are a walking billboard for your future profession. Assert yourself as just that. Clean up your social media.

It is about who you know. Many times, we scoff at the one that we think didn't work hard enough and got a position because their parent knew someone or they just "got the hook up". It is what it is. They got the position because they essentially networked. Like I've said, you have to advocate for yourself and ask questions. Many jobs are earned because someone from a fraternity or sorority is on the hiring board, or maybe you went to the same school. It's a network of networking. As awkward and uncomfortable as this may seem, you are going to refine your communication skills by doing this and have better conversations. This is another notch you get to add to your resume. Asking questions leads to someone who knows someone, who knows someone. Another thing: don't gossip your way through networking because you don't know who knows who. It's a small world. Go get what you want - within reason, of course.

• Your college or technical school has access to FREE mental health resources, counselors, and psychologists on staff to help you. It's FREE. Well, technically, you are paying for it in your tuition & fee costs. So, USE IT!
• If you can't find a mental health counselor through college or health insurance, you can check your local health department for resources.
• Give yourself permission to mess up, fail, and fall. It sucks, but you will be better for it. No matter how many times you fall, you learn to get up better each time.
• When you do mess up, take ownership and responsibility for it. Learn. Move on.
• Be kind to yourself and give yourself some grace.
• Be kind to others. If you expect others to be there for you, be there for others - including strangers. A little bit of kindness goes a long way.

This was the stuff that was incredibly intimidating to me. More so because I wasn't taught these skills in school nor at home. This is also because I came from a single parent home and money wasn't necessarily there. I've made some budgeting mistakes. I've made some credit card mistakes. Here is the cool thing about adulting: you can do whatever you want. The not-so-cool thing? You can do whatever you want. Eventually, no one is going to be up your butt about how you're spending, where you're going, and why you're eating out so often. You are going to have to practice your self-discipline. It takes 30 days to create a habit; if you stick it out for that long, it might just work out in your favor. This is why I always say you need a support system to help hold you accountable. Break the curses of money ignorance. I am not saying that money will make you happy; but it will surely solve about 98% of your problems. And listen, don't forget to give back to your community. There's a blessing in serving your local community or church needs. Check out the links and videos below to help you get started on your money adventure. I am manifesting millionaire status for you! (Just don't forget me when you're rich!)

Talk to a financial advisor about the terms you don't know.

Establish where you want to bank. What are their savings and retirement options? Make an appointment to talk to an advisor at your bank. Don't be intimidated. That is what they are there for. Learn it now so you can expand on that knowledge later.