College Counseling Newsletter
January 2026
Happy March!
As admissions decisions arrive, our seniors are reviewing options, comparing financial aid offers, and planning their next steps. It’s an exciting time of celebration and important decision-making.
Be sure to compare aid packages, explore remaining scholarships, and track deadlines for deposits, housing, and orientation. Please reach out if you need support.
We are so proud of our students’ hard work and resilience and are honored to walk alongside them during this exciting season.
Warmly,
The College Counseling Team
- Take the ACT on March 10th or on 11th at your school. Remember, you still have time to raise your ACT for state scholarships.
- Narrow your school choices and make campus visits.
- Be on the lookout for acceptance letters.
- Be on the lookout for financial aid information, such as a financial aid offer.
- Check deadlines for housing applications and deposits for your chosen college.
- If you still did not complete the volunteer hours, volunteer at LISA Academy approved sites and complete the required hours as soon as possible.
- Apply fafsa and state scholarships on https://sams.adhe.edu/ if you haven’t already.
Review housing applications and priority deadlines.
Juniors! Registration for Arkansas Boys State and Girls State is now open
ALA Arkansas Girls State is an immersive civics education program held each summer and designed for young women who have just completed their junior year of high school. Since 1942, the Arkansas Girls State program has been working to teach future generations of Arkansan citizens to be actively involved in their communities and government at every level.
Please talk to your college counselor if you are interested in applying. Arkansas Girls Sate will be at Harding University between MAY 24 – 29, 2026.
STUDENT ELIGIBILITY Young women who have completed their junior year (entering senior year in Fall 2026) and demonstrate: Leadership, Character and Honesty, Scholarship, Cooperativeness, Community participation and service
PROGRAM COST $300 per student (may be paid by schools, local American Legion Auxiliary units, businesses, clubs, or other sponsors).
Click here to get more information.
Arkansas Boys State
Arkansas Boys State is an immersive leadership and civics engagement program designed for high school juniors. Since 1940, the week-long camp has transformed the next generation of leaders throughout our state and beyond.
During their week at Arkansas Boys State, delegates are assigned a political party, city, and county. Throughout the week, delegates, from the ground up, administer this mock government as if it were real: they run for office, draft and pass legislation, solve municipal challenges, and engage constituents. By the week’s end, the delegates have experienced civic responsibility and engagement firsthand while making life-long memories and friends — all with our guiding principle that “Democracy Depends on Me.”
Cost: $250 per student.
Location: University of Central Arkansas (UCA).
Click here for more information for Arkansas Boys State. Please talk to your college counselor if you are interested in applying. Arkansas Boys State will be at UCA between MAY 24 – 29, 2026
YouScience is a 90-minute, research-based online assessment that helps students and adults discover their natural aptitudes, interests, and strengths through 11 engaging “brain games.” The assessment generates a personalized report that connects these abilities to specific, high-demand careers and educational pathways, helping bridge the gap between individual strengths and future career success.
All 9th grade students will take the YouScience Career Assessment in March. After completing the assessment, students and parents will review the results to help determine the student’s career pathway selection for the next school year.
Dear Sophomores and Juniors,
Are you interested in pursuing a career in the medical field? We are excited to announce that the 2026 HEALERS Program will take place from Monday, June 1, 2026, through Friday, June 12, 2026.
The HEALERS Program is open to current 10th and 11th grade students. The application deadline is Tuesday, March 31, 2026. Students selected as finalists will be required to participate in an interview with the selection committee.
Click here for more information about the application process.
Are you 18 and a first-time voter? Enter your information for a chance to participate in this exciting event!
From July 8-11, 2026, all eyes will turn to our nation’s capital as Close Up, the Stanford University Deliberative Democracy Lab, Generation Lab, and the Hoover Institution’s Center for Revitalizing American Institutions convene NextGen Roundtable: Decision 2026, a deliberative gathering of first-time voters. The idea? To engage in deliberation around the issues facing our country with 400 young Americans of all backgrounds, communities, and worldviews.
Click here to get more information about this event.
9th-12th grade students can apply to volunteer at the Museum of Discovery. If they are selected, they can earn 100+ volunteer hours at the Museum of Discovery. In order to volunteer at the Museum of Discovery, students will need to do summer training. Click the link here to apply for Museum of Discovery Camp Counselor Volunteer Application
Application deadline is April 17th.
