College Counseling Newsletter

October is here, and the new school year is in full swing! This is a big month for college planning, with the FAFSA application now open and early application deadlines just around the corner.

It's also College Application Month in Arkansas. If you haven't applied to college yet, now is the time to get it done!

Our one-on-one meetings with seniors and juniors are happening now, and we’re ready to help you with anything you need. Whether you're finalizing your college list, polishing those essays, or just trying to navigate the application process, we're here for you every step of the way. This is the month to take action and ensure all your hard work pays off.

And for our underclassmen, remember it's never too early to start exploring! Use this time to think about your interests, research colleges, and get involved in activities that will help shape your path.

Let's make this month a productive one!

— The College Counseling Office

Welcome to October, Seniors!

You’re officially in the swing of senior year. October is about taking action—applications, scholarships, and testing are all in motion. Stay focused and stay on track! Here’s your October to-do list:

📝 College Applications in Progress

Keep applying! Aim to have at least 2–3 applications submitted by the end of the month.

Double-check deadlines for early action/early decision schools—many are due Nov. 1st.

🎓 FAFSA Opens!

The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) opens October 1st.

Filling it out early gives you the best shot at grants, work-study, and other aid.

[FAFSA Link]

💵 Scholarships, Scholarships, Scholarships

New scholarships are opening every week—don’t miss them!

Check SchooLinks → Scholarship Matching regularly.

Keep up with goingmerry.com and fastweb.com for fresh opportunities.

🧑‍🏫 Recommendation Letters

If you haven’t asked teachers/counselors yet, do it NOW.

Make sure to complete “recommendation letter brag sheet” on schoolinks to make their letters stronger.

🗓 ACT Updates

All seniors will take the ACT at school on October 14th—make sure you’re ready.

💡 Senior Year Success Tip

Balance is key! Stay on top of deadlines, but don’t forget to manage stress—schedule time for rest, exercise, and things that make you happy.

A busy month—but every step you take now makes senior year smoother later. Keep pushing forward—we’re here to support you!

— The College Counseling Office

Application Deadline - Scholarship and application link - Scholarship amount

October 13th - Army ROTC Round 1Scholarship -Tuition, Fees, +Other expenses

October 28th- Chick-fil-A Community Scholars - $25,000

October 31th - One Korean Scholarship - $1,000

October 31st - Voice of Democracy Essay Contest- $1,000 - $35,000

November 2nd - Hispanic Heritage Foundation Scholarships - $4,000

November 12th - Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarships - $4,000-$30,000

November 12th - The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s scholarship - up to $220,000

November 14th - Students with Disabilities Scholarship - $5,000

November 15th- University of Arkansas Priority Scholarships application deadline

November 17th - National Space Club and Foundation Scholarship - $20,000

December 1st- Hagan Scholarships - $60,000

December 1st - Ron Brown Scholarship - $40,000

December 5th - SMART Scholarship for STEM Degrees - over $200,000

On October 14th, all juniors and seniors will take the official ACT at the school. ACT is crucial for college admission and scholarships. Students who gets 19 ACT score may get $15,000-$48,000 scholarships for Arkansas universities. Getting higher ACT will help students to earn more scholarship.

19 ACT is high school graduation requirement for juniors. All juniors will take another ACT test in April. Students who don't get 19 ACT score will have to attend summer school.

Dear Parents of 11th Grade Students,

Achieving a 19 ACT score is a high school graduation requirement for all 9th–11th graders. LISA Academy provides ACT classes for all juniors, ACT Boot Camps, and self-paced study resources, additional ACT test and Pre-ACT test to help students meet this requirement.

All juniors will take the ACT in October and again in April. Students who have not reached a 19 ACT score by May 2026 will be required to attend summer school. Summer school will last for two weeks and include ACT Math, Reading, and English classes. Students will then take the ACT again on June 13th. Completing summer school will satisfy the 19 ACT requirement. If you have any questions about the Summer School, please email your questions to delkan@lisaacademy.org

After great success and participation last year, ADHE and ASLA College Planning Services will be providing 2 virtual financial aid nights again this year! These sessions will cover Federal and State Aid programs, how to apply, and other quick tips for your senior students. Presenters will be Alisha Lewis (ADHE) and Lavonne Juhl (ASLA College Planning Services).

Register For A Virtual Aid Night - Virtual Aid Night Registration

A huge congratulations to the LISA West seniors and their counselors! As of October 1st, every senior has been accepted to one or more colleges. We are so proud of our seniors!

LISA Academy students excelled on the Advanced Placement (AP) exams they took in May 2025, earning hundreds of college credits. Several students achieved perfect scores in the following subjects: AP Calculus AB, AP Precalculus, AP English Language, AP English Literature, AP Spanish Language, AP Biology, AP Computer Science Principles, AP Human Geography, AP Seminar, AP United States History, AP United States Government, and AP European History.

Big congratulations to the following students earned perfect scores on one or more of their AP exams:

• William Prine - North High

• Jil Patel - North High

• Yusuf Guven - North High

• Jayden Branch - North High

• Jacory Romes - North High

• Dafne Reyes - North High

• Ronney Ngo - North High

• Sonia Beck - North High

• Kaelyn Hall - North High

• Quinton King - West High

• Israel Salas- West High

• David Montalbo- West High

• Ladon Queen- West High

• Madeline Ramsey- West High

• Fatima Cibrian-Esparza- West High

• Leslie Martinez- Arkansas online School

We are proud of our students who participated in Volunteering Day at the Arkansas Food Bank on September 22nd.

Our counselors visited our alumni who are freshmen at UALR and delivered congratulatory cards signed by their former teachers.

West High School

UCA Recruiter visit and admission presentation - October. 10

Jostens Graduation Visit to seniors and Juniors - Oct 31st

North High School

Jostens Graduation Visit to seniors and Juniors - Oct 3st

A-state Recruiter visit and admission presentation - Oct. 24

Arkansas Online School

Jostens Graduation Visit to seniors and Juniors - Oct 31st

Senior Breakfast - Oct. 31st

We are here to support families through the college process. Reach out to us with questions or for a meeting.

Email:

District office -Mr. Elkan delkan@lisaacademy.org

LISA North -Mr. Dundar gdundar@lisaacademy.org Mrs. Lovelday tlovelady@lisaacademy.org

LISA Online School Mrs. Guven hguven@lisaacademy.org

LISA West - Mr. Bilal bacikgoz@lisaacademy.org Mr. Unal eunal@lisaacademy.org

LISA Rogers-Bentonville -Mrs.Tuna ytuna@lisaacademy.org