With application due dates fast approaching, many students lack the knowledge about the options they have to get non-athletic scholarships.

One doesn’t have to be a star athlete to get scholarship money. There are many opportunities for students to get money simply through writing essays, submitting artwork or even entering sweepstakes.

The Future Ready Specialist, Ms. Lindersmith suggested that students “Stop by the Future Ready Center on Tuesday during Power Hour to meet with our Scholarship Mentor, Audra Wilson. She can provide one-on-one help to students looking for scholarships.”

The Scholarship Mentor at Tahoma High School, Audra Wilson, said that there are scholarships open for students beyond athletics. “[It’s] super easy to find non-sports related scholarships,” said Wilson.

Students can use websites such as “Fastweb or Washboard” to research scholarships on their own. “College websites will also be helpful,” said Wilson. And, the Future Ready Center, also will list scholarships as they start to appear.

Junior Hunter Jenkins has communicated with college coaches about baseball after high school. However, he does much more to find other scholarships that are not related to sports. “I took the PSAT to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship,” he said. “I’ve also been asking the counselor about what scholarships apply to me.” Since athletic scholarships are rare compared to the others being given out, it is important to take advantage of searching for non-sports related scholarships.

But a student doesn’t need to be stuck in the books all day to qualify for a scholarship either. Wilson stated that talents really depends on the scholarship. There are many opportunities for students to earn money for college, “GPA is important for merit scholarships, but there are a lot of special interest scholarships out there.  Such as art, community service, sports, etc.,” said Wilson.

Wilson stated that with such a variety of scholarships, “It’s hard to say what the most common would be.” Many colleges give merit scholarships.” Wilson said that if a student’s GPA is not very high, there are many scholarships sponsored by organizations that don’t require a high GPA.

There is an option if students do not wish to meet with the Scholarship Mentor. “ [Students can] look on the Future Ready Website for more information under the tab ‘Pay for College,’” said Lindersmith.

If anyone is interested in getting help looking for scholarships, Scholarship Mentor, Audra Wilson suggested bringing a completed personal data sheet prior to meeting with her. The paper can be found on the Future Ready website, and anyone is welcome.