College & Career

Dear FHS Students and Families,

This monthly newsletter is packed with valuable information about 2025-2026 College Credit Plus Information Night, Community Foundation Scholarship Info, Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), 2025-2026 Millstream Application, and more. Our goal is to provide you with the latest resources and insights to help students make informed decisions and seize new opportunities. We encourage students and families to read through the newsletter and take advantage of the resources and opportunities it highlights.

Emily Greer

College & Career Counselor

Findlay High School

When: January 16th 2025

Where: FHS Auditorium

What: Overview of the College Credit Plus (CCP) program, students and families interested in participating in the College Credit Plus program for the 2025-2026 school year should plan to attend.

There are over 140 scholarship funds in the Universal Application, and last year the Foundation awarded 280+ scholarships totaling over $450,000. They are set to meet or exceed that number in 2025! You can find a current list of scholarships available to award in 2025 by clicking here. Student applications are due on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, at NOON!

To access the Foundation’s scholarship site, students will navigate to www.community-foundation.com, choose "Portal Access" under the search bar, and then choose My Scholarship Portal. They will create a username and password then click "Apply" at the top of the applicant dashboard.

The following scholarships currently have small or no applicant pools, we highly recommend applying if you meet the qualifications. These scholarships can be applied for through The Community Foundation application portal.

David D. and Ruth A. Schneider Scholarship—for a student with specific requirements related to being involved in the foster care system, GPA 2.75 or higher in Hancock or Hardin counties.

Frank R. and Mary Jane Cosiano Family Scholarship – for a student with Type 1 Diabetes, GPA 3.5 or higher, active in community/volunteer service in Hancock County.

Multiple Agriculture or Ag-related Scholarships - Were you raised on a farm or interested in pursuing agriculture or an ag-related field post high school? Please reach out to Mrs. Greer for additional information on these.

All scholarships that are shared with Findlay High School are posted on the FHS Scholarship Database 24-25. We are constantly adding to this spreadsheet new scholarship opportunities, please continue to check this database for new additions. We recommend focusing on local, regional, and state scholarships first. Many additional local scholarships get posted in January & February!

Colleges often offer merit-based (academic record, athletic, etc.), and major/college specific scholarships. Many of these scholarship will require additional application steps. Work closely with your college admissions counselor to identify scholarships to apply to for your future major/program and make sure to pay attention to priority deadlines!

Seniors, now is the time to be working on your 2025-2026 FAFSA.

Tips for Completing the FAFSA:

• To ensure the best experience when completing the FAFSA online, we highly recommend that students and families create their FSA ID 3-5 days prior to starting their FAFSA application. To complete this step go to studentaid.gov and click "Create Account".
• Prior to starting the FAFSA collect necessary information, the 2025-2026 FAFSA requires 2023 tax information. The FAFSA will hopefully transfer most of the needed financial information when you provide consent, but it is helpful to have your 1040 tax form, plus any schedules that were filed, as well as any W-2s from 2023 on hand.
• It is also recommended that the student begins the FAFSA and then invites their contributors. This will help streamline the process and avoid any potential delays. Click here, if unsure which parent should contribute to your FAFSA form.
• The FAFSA is being processed quickly, typically within 1-3 days, and once processed, students will receive their FAFSA submission summary. The processed results will then be sent to the colleges they have applied to.
• Most Colleges/Universities have scholarship priority deadlines, we recommend completing your FAFSA prior to these published deadlines.

Most colleges/universities offer specific FAFSA workshops/ individual appointments for families. Below are just a few local options:

• Owens Community College - FAFSA Support Hours
• BGSU - FAFSA Support Hours
• University of Toledo - Financial Aid Workshops - January 16th or January 27th

Meet Aidan

Aidan is a virtual assistant that can answer questions about federal student aid. Aidan uses advanced technology - artificial intelligence and natural language processing - to answer your most common questions.

Sophomore students interested in enrolling in a Millstream Career Center program for their 11th & 12th grade year need to submit an application by the priority deadline: January 17th, 2025. Click the button below to apply.

Students interested in apply are encouraged to submit their applications as soon as possible. Their available apprenticeship spots are filling up quickly this year. They may shut down the application process early if they fill all of their remaining positions before March 30th.

Seniors interested in applying must submit an application online.

Not sure, but want to learn more? They are offering an informational session and tour of GROB on January 25th, 2025. Click here to register for this event.

Friday, January 24th, 12:40pm-4:30pm

Explore life as a Buckeye on the Lima Campus (including a campus tour), learn more about scholarships and financial aid, connect with key campus resources, and get answers to your questions from your admission counselor.

Click here to register for this event.

BGSU Summer Camp Information

The application is open now, and spots will fill quickly! There is financial assistance available.

The Wildlife Leadership Academy enriches teens and empowers them to become certified Conservation Ambassadors through attending one of their 5-day residential summer field schools, each focusing on a different wildlife species: white-tailed deer, bass, brook trout, turkey and bear. They are looking for students between the ages of 14 and 17 ready to begin their journey to become Conservation Ambassadors. Click here for more information.

Explore summer programs for high school students. Students can choose to study on campus, online or at a variety of domestic and international locations. Application opens: January 15th.

9 - 12th graders - Explore the different volunteer opportunities available in Hancock County. Volunteering can help you explore career areas of interest or expose you to new career possibilities.

A Night to Shine is an event sponsored by The Tim Tebow Foundation that provides a prom for individuals 14 and over to have a prom in their honor. This event will be held at St. Mark's Church in Findlay on February 7, 2025. If you are interested in volunteering to participate as a buddy this can count towards volunteer hours.

Below is the link for more information:

Night to Shine-Findlay

Students can sign up to take a full-length, timed practice test on President's Day, Feb 17th, 2025 at the Findlay Sylvan Learning Center. Afterwards, Sylvan provides a personalized evaluation of your student's performance along with an action plan for how they can improve their score.

Students can give Sylvan Learning a call at 419-427-0975 to reserve a spot and bring the registration form with them on testing day.