Henry M. Jackson High School

SCHOLARSHIPS ARE EVERYWHERE (AT YOUR SCHOOL, COLLEGE, NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATIONS, NATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS, PARENTS' WORKPLACE COMPANIES, BANKS & CREDIT UNIONS, ETC......). BELOW ARE LOCAL SCHOLARSHIPS, SCHOLARSHIP DATABASES, AND A STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO FIND AND APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS.

FOR ASSISTANCE & QUESTIONS, CONTACT MR. DAHLKE, CAREER SPECIALIST, IN THE CAREER CENTER (EMAIL: DDAHLKE@EVERETTSD.ORG) IF YOU NEED AN UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT, HELP WITH ESSAYS, AND PRINT SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS. OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS: CONTACT JHS REGISTRAR AT EMAIL: JHStranscripts@everettsd.org.

UPCOMING SCHOLARSHIPS ARE POSTED WHEN THEY ARE AVAILABLE - KEEP CHECKING!

• WSOS (Washington State Opportunity Scholarships) Up to $22,500!!
  • Baccalaureate Scholarship - Due February 26 (9:00pm) - Application opens Jan. 14, 2026
    • For students intending to earn a bachelor's (4-year) degree INCLUDING students who want to start at a community college and then transfer to a university!!
  • Career & Technical Scholarship - Application opens March 2025, usually.
    • For students intending to earn a certificate, apprenticeship, or associate (2-year) degree. Eligible programs HERE

• JUNIORS ONLY: Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans Inc. Scholarship Application & Information - Due March 1 and June 15, 2025
  • Eligibility Quiz for students now enrolled as high school junior graduating June 2026 and:
    • Plans to enter a U.S. college to pursue a bachelor's degree (may start at community college and then transfer)
    • Demonstrate financial need ($65K or lower adjusted gross family income required), parent Income Verification, and be a U.S. citizen
    • Required forms, high school counselor contact information, and high school transcript (see Career Center for assistance)
  • Students should apply if they have significant financial need and exhibited integrity and perseverance in overcoming personal adversity. Schorlaships range from $10,000 to $25,000; more than 600 scholarships available.

• Ewing C. Kelly Scholarship ($3250) Information & Application - Due March 7, 2026
  • Eligibility
    • 1) Applicant must be accepted, or have an application pending, at an accredited institution of higher learning, public or private and including community and technical colleges;
    • 2) must be a senior-level student at a public or private high school (or home school);
    • 3) IF the college you are attending requires ACT/SAT scores, you must have an ACT composite score of 20 or a composite score of 1030 on the SAT. NO test scores required for 2-year schools);
    • 4) must be a U.S. citizen or have a green card.
    •  
    • Fillable application
    •  
    • Applicants judged on citizenship, academic achievement, and financial need. Two letters of recommendation, completed application with Financial Assessment Form, one-page personal statement, high school transcript, and ACT/SAT score, if required. Read Information and Application at above links. Questions? Ask Mr. Dahlke in JHS Career Center (ddahlke@everettsd.org)

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO FIND & APPLY TO SCHOLARSHIPS

STEP 1: Start now!!! Keep a notebook to organize your efforts and save information; Excel spreadsheet works well. Schedule time to research and fill out scholarship applications. ALSO, EVEN JUNIORS & SOPHOMORES CAN APPLY!! Come to the Career Center for help to get started. View Scholarships Basics PowerPoint presentation, also available in in Adobe pdf format. SCHOLARSHIPS RENEW, UPDATE, AND OPEN UP THROUGHOUT THEY YEAR; YOU NEED TO KEEP LOOKING THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

STEP 2: Start and then complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) with your parents. It opens December 1 this year. The Career Center and Naviance Specialist (Ms. Sarah Pewitt, naviance@everettsd.org) can also help you. Please finish the FAFSA application as soon as you can. Colleges and universities require the FAFSA to be finished near their college application due dates, regardless if you don't receive FAFSA money, AND to be eligible for their college/university scholarships!

STEP 3: Log in to your Naviance account and view the scholarship list after watching this video. Look for scholarships and their eligibility requirements and then choose a scholarship to apply.

STEP 4: Visit the Career Center, Counselors, and teachers for additional scholarships. Ask your parent/guardian's work, your bank, your workplace, etc, if there are any scholarships available through their organization.

STEP 5: Apply to scholarships from colleges/universities you apply to, either in a separate application or on the school's application. Also, check their Financial Aid and Foundation department webpages.

STEP 6: Search scholarship databases below for scholarships that fit you and your career and academic goals. These databases are continually being updated so make your database account. Keep track of scholarships that fit you. Juniors and sophomores are encouraged to apply. (THERE ARE MANY MORE SCHOLARSHIP DATABASES & WEBSITES NOT LISTED BELOW, SO GOOGLE THEM :).)

STEP 7: College Bound Scholarship: Find out if you qualify for the College Bound Scholarship by calling 1-888-535-0747 (choose Option 1) or by email, collegebound@wsac.wa.gov. If you went to middle school in Washington State, you and your parents may have applied for the College Bound Scholarship. Also, to receive texts from College Bound, text 360-928-7281 and write "Hi Otter" to start receiving messages about financial aid. Visit the Career Center and your Counselor, they can check if you are on the College Bound Scholarship list.

STEP 8: Washington State Opportunity Scholarship (WSOS): Check if your family income qualifies you for this Opportunity Scholarship, which supports students pursuing bachelor (4-year) and associate (2-year) degrees in  CTE, high demand trades, STEM, and health care occupations. Students studying certificate and apprenticeship programs are also eligible for this scholarship. View eligible programs at Washington Community and Technical Colleges here: https://www.sbctc.edu/our-colleges/explore-colleges/default.aspx. To view application deadlines, go to www.waopportunityscholarship.org/students/applicants/cts. 

STEP 9: Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program: Are you applying to non-Washington State schools? If so, maybe these schools participate in the Western Undergraduate Exchange program, possibly giving you huge tuition discounts!! Go to https://www.wiche.edu/wue and search for out-of-state schools that offer WUE scholarship. For a list of WUE schools, you can also visit https://wuesavingsfinder.wiche.edu/search-results.php.

STEP 10: Attend Everett Public School district's Financial Aid Night or High School & Beyond Events to learn more. Go to https://www.everettsd.org/domain/1464 to read more about High School & Beyond events.

STEP 11: Never give up applying for scholarships. Your efforts are well worth your time. Good luck.

HELPFUL INFORMATION:

• Answer all questions on applications, type / write answers clearly. Double-check your writing (grammar, spelling, word choice, etc). Ask friends and adults to read your essays.

• Never pay any money to get a scholarship or join a scholarship organization or attend a financial aid presentation. You should never have to pay money to get money.

• Turn in scholarship applications BEFORE their due dates, which means you need to request EARLY recommendation letters, transcripts, and so on. Keep track of your progress in a notebook or Excel spreadsheet.

• Complete the FAFSA (Go to https://www.everettsd.org/Page/9402 to learn more about Financial Aid). The FAFSA opens December 1 this year and should be completed as possible. Some colleges / universities require FAFSA to be completed by certain dates, even if you don't receive FAFSA money. The earlier you complete the FAFSA the more financial aid money you can receive!