Funds available to help students achieve their dreams

Funds available to help students achieve their dreams

For high school seniors in Southwest Nebraska, the deadlines are quickly approaching to apply for scholarships and grants to help fund further training and education. While this may be frantic for some, this remains my favorite time in the educational season.

For 35 years at the front of my classroom, my mantras were straight-forward:

“All students need some kind of training or further education after high school.”

“Go away and get some training or education, then come back to raise your family here.”

Our youth need to hear that we want them back in our communities. They also need to be reminded that the “greener grass” doesn’t need to be in a metropolitan area. Southwest Nebraska offers so many career options. And when it comes to funding education and training, there are countless opportunities available through various organizations.

For example, the McCook Community Foundation Fund currently oversees two scholarships available to high school seniors along with those in college or non-traditional students. The Barbara Fassler-Neumann scholarship is available for those considering or already in a nursing or medicine program. The Bernard and Nelda Haag scholarship is designed for anyone in agriculture-related fields.

Individuals and families like Barbara Fassler-Neuman and the Haags recognized the importance of an education and left a legacy to help fund the educational futures of students from Southwest Nebraska. Both scholarships include a heavy focus on individuals intent on returning to Southwest Nebraska and have an application deadline of March 31. These applications can be found on the MCFF website, mccookfoundation.org.

And next year, MCFF will be home to several more scholarships, thanks to forward-thinking community members, including one named in honor of Frank Weiland - of Weiland Field fame - for high school seniors pursuing an education career track thanks to a donation from Frank’s grandson Doug Keith of Cozad.

In addition to my membership with MCFF, I continue to be a member of McCook Chapter FA of PEO (Philanthropic Educational Organization), which supports women in education with several different programs and funding opportunities.

Women of any age, whose path to education has been interrupted, can apply for a PCE grant with up to $3,000 to help pay for education-related expenses. PEO offers the STAR scholarship for a female high school senior with $450 available locally and up to $2,500 internationally.

PEO oversees the ELF Loan, which lends money at 2 percent interest to qualified women to assist them in securing a higher education, whether it is for accredited non-degree programs, associate or bachelor’s degrees, master’s degree programs, or even doctoral degree programs.

And the Scholar Award provides merit-based awards for women of the U.S. who are pursuing a doctoral-level degree at an accredited college or university. The maximum award amount is $25,000. Reach out to me if any information about these opportunities or about PEO at gpwolford@msn.com.

And the McCook Education Foundation offers 10 different scholarships made possible by alumni and families of McCook High School graduates or educators and the McCook Masonic Lodge. has seven scholarships available for Southwest Nebraska students. Information and applications for all of these scholarships are available at the high school counselors’ offices.

These are just a few opportunities for graduating seniors or non-traditional students to find assistance in the quest for success. But the deadlines are approaching quickly so apply today because you can’t get help if you don’t turn those in those applications. Ultimately, these organizations enjoy helping and want to see these students achieve their dreams.

— Pam Wolford is a retired high school English teacher but stays involved with young people through her work on Bison Days, MCFF’s Youth Change Reaction and many other education-related organizations.