Washington State Opportunity Scholarship

Meet Opportunity Scholar Carol! "Receiving my education will help me reach my goals of having a socially considerate approach in my career. Aiming to major in Neuropsychology (Psychology as a Neuroscience), my courses have taught me the various ways in which people struggle, allowing me to not just understand, but also sympathize with those struggles and make connections to the world around us. Being with WSOS has been awesome. There are Scholar Leads who guide us through what we must do to keep the scholarship. Though scholarship upkeep can be intimidating, our Leads are often understanding and make room for our education, and WSOS as a whole has made things easy with their consistent reminders. Also, there are a plethora of internship offers that are suggested to Opportunity Scholars. Personally, I have found this incredibly encouraging in furthering my work experience when I am not in school."

Lyanne O’Connell, WSOS' Awards Administration Director, has a message for Opportunity Scholars. ”We will continuously do what is best for our Scholars to make college affordable and attainable. Remember, the staff at WSOS are deeply invested in your educational journey. We believe that access to higher education and your future career are essential.” We know that this year’s financial aid application process caused several challenges for students and families. The launch of the new “Better FAFSA” form was delayed and created significant barriers to completion, especially for families of mixed-documentation status. To support Scholars during this process, WSOS · Shared tips & tricks for students & families to ensure eligibility; · Extended deadlines for applicants to submit their FAFSA/WASFA; · Continually checked in with applicants to see if they have completed their FAFSA/WASFA or needed support to complete; · Accepted screenshots of applicants’ FAFSA/WASFA submissions to conditionally select them before final verification, so students could determine their financial aid package before beginning their program; · Discussed options with families who could not complete the form, decided they cannot or will not complete the FAFSA this year, and · Contacted all applicants if we couldn’t confirm their FAFSA/WASFA submission to troubleshoot issues. To our applicants and families, we are so glad you didn’t give up. Your future career and access to higher education are essential!

"The most helpful part of the WSOS program was knowing that someone willingly offers this assistance to many students across the state in hopes that they work towards achieving their academic and career goals. Knowing that someone’s money was being invested into my future has been a motivator through my academic journey." — Francisco, Baccalaureate Scholarship, Agricultural Teacher Education

“My safe space is school now… When I started, I was terrified because I wasn’t sure if I would fit.” — JoAnna, Opportunity Scholar This is a very common thought among Opportunity Scholars, and we work to ensure our programs address Opportunity Scholars’ needs before they graduate and enter the workforce. WSOS supports Scholars so they can focus on building their career. Mentors are a vital part of that work. Skills that Shine mentors help Scholars build career readiness skills so they can feel secure in their transition from college to career. This is why mentorship is so important. Mentors build relationships with Scholars and help them find their pathway to their chosen careers. Sign up today: https://lnkd.in/gSGs-wex

For over a decade, WSOS has built pathways to high-demand, living-wage careers in Washington state, which uniquely focus on the needs of students who have been historically excluded from opportunity. Because of the success of our flagship Baccalaureate Scholarship (BaS) program, created in 2011, the Washington State Legislature entrusted WSOS with new areas of impact, expanding our support beyond bachelor's degrees. Today, we support students pursuing apprenticeships, certificates, and associate degrees through the Career & Technical Scholarship (CTS) and students pursuing advanced nurse practitioner degrees in our Graduate Scholarship program (GRD).

Recent graduate? Give back as a WSOS mentor & gain important leadership experience! https://lnkd.in/gSGs-wex

Meet Opportunity Scholar Zachary! "Receiving the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship was an encouraging show of support for my college pursuits. The financial support allowed me to focus on my classes rather than money and opened up time that I used to participate in research. Through that research, I was able to become an author in a published journal! My WSOS industry mentor helped me immensely with preparing for my job search. The advice and interview practice I got from him gave me confidence going into interviews that let me clearly communicate my qualifications, which led to both a wonderful internship and my current job. My experience with WSOS was wonderfully supportive. Having financial assistance and people to reach out to helped offset the stress of entering college. I appreciated the support so much that my senior year I chose to be a Scholar Lead to give back to younger students, a role that was rewarding and helped me gain leadership experience."

Free, virtual FAFSA appointments are available with College Success Foundation's financial aid experts. We can help recent high school grads from WA State finish their financial aid forms in time to attend college this fall. 🎓 Students or parents can schedule appointments at our website: https://bit.ly/3SeTeY 📆 #FinancialAid #FAFSA #WASFA #College #ClassOf2024 #WAedu #DoTheFAFSA

Baccalaureate Opportunity Scholars: Looking for a mentorship experience like Cindy's? Check your email for more details about the Skills that Shine mentorship program and the sign-up link! Your mentor could help connect you to job and internship opportunities, expand your network, build a resume and cover letter, and more.

This week, we're highlighting our career development resources! Throughout the academic year, Opportunity Scholars are invited to participate in one-of-a-kind events and career–readiness trainings with WSOS partners. From internship 101 sessions to in-person tours of local companies and emails about available internships and jobs across our state, these resources aim to help Scholars succeed in college and find a job! In the 2023-24 academic year, WSOS hosted 17 total events with partners including Bristol Myers Squibb and Microsoft. Scholars had the opportunity to attend on-site tours, virtual career panels, internship information sessions, and resume workshops!