CHS College and Career Center News

My name is Mike Henderson and I am the part time School to Career Specialist at Centennial High School. In this role, my job is to help students with their plans for after high school. Whether those plans include college, the military, going straight into the workforce, or going into an apprenticeship, I am here to help. These monthly newsletters will help you with important information and keep you informed. If you have any questions, you can always email me at mike_henderson@csd28j.org, call me at 503-762-6180 ext.5574, or just swing by the College and Career Center (right next to the CHS Counseling Office) to talk to me.

Do you need help paying for college or a trade school (construction, cosmetology, tattoo school)??

Do you need help answering these questions (and more)?

*What is the FAFSA and the ORSAA?

*What is the Oregon Promise Grant?

*What is the Oregon Opportunity Grant?

*How do I apply for these? Do I even need to apply for these?

*How do I apply for scholarships and other free money?

**Please attend the CHS FAFSA/ORSAA and Oregon Promise Night!!

When: Thursday, Oct. 2nd from 6 to 7:30 pm

Where: Centennial High School Library

Who: Centennial High School Senior students and parents are encouraged to attend.

**IF you miss this event, we will have another of these events at a date to be determined in November or December. Stay tuned for details.

How are you going to pay for college, a trade school, or cosmetology school next year? The FAFSA or the ORSAA is required by colleges and other organizations to attend there. The FAFSA or the ORSAA determines the aid that you can receive in the form of grants (free money) and loans (money you have to pay back) based on your families income. Here is what you should do at this point in time....

1) Go to the following website to see which application, FAFSA or ORSAA, is for you https://oregonstudentaid.gov/fafsa-orsaa/fafsaorsaa-information/.

2) If you determine that the FAFSA is for you, set up your FAFSA account by creating an FSA ID here https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch. Both the student and ONE parent will need an FSA ID. After you and your parent have an FSA ID, you can complete the 2026-27 FAFSA.

3) If you determine that the ORSAA is for you, apply here.

**In order to receive the Oregon Promise Grant funds, free money for use at any Oregon Community College, completing the FAFSA or the ORSAA is required. To access the Oregon Promise Grant application go to this website https://app.oregonstudentaid.gov/.

The Oregon Promise Grant helps pay for students to attend a community college in Oregon. You must complete your FAFSA or ORSAA (depending on which one you have to complete), have a 2.0 cumulative GPA when you graduate, and have an SAI (student aid index, determined by the FAFSA) below 18,000 to be eligible for the Oregon Promise Grant.

July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026 Graduates

The Oregon Promise Grant application is now open for students who will graduate between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026. Deadline varies by graduation date. Please refer to the chart below to determine the correct deadline. All students only have one opportunity to apply for Oregon Promise, based on their graduation date. Most students must apply by June 1, 2026.

Please join the Oregon Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (OASFAA), Oregon Goes to College, ASPIRE, and The Ford Family Foundation as they discuss the opportunities and options for life after high school- and how to PAY for them.

Offered in English, Spanish, and Russian, this webinar features live Q & A with financial aid administrators from across Oregon, including the ability to ask truly anonymous questions.

Students and families of all grades are welcome to attend! Click here to register.

FAFSA Student Drop-in

Need help with your FAFSA? Join this session to receive 1:1 support with staff.
https://www.oregonstudentaid.gov/resources/webinars/

• Tuesday, October 14 from 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm. Click to join.
• Wednesday, October 15 from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm. Click to join.
• Tuesday, October 21 from 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm. Click to join.
• Thursday, October 23 from 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm. Click to join.
• Wednesday, November 5, 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm. Click to join.
• Thursday, November 13 from 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm. Click to join.

The Oregon Leadership Institute (OLI) is an exciting free program for high school juniors and seniors focused on leadership skills, public speaking, and emotional intelligence skills for high school students. OLI pairs college-level students with high school students interested in college and career ideas. OLI pairs students from all backgrounds and nationalities.

The program offers a tuition-free series of workshops and training sessions during the fall, winter, and spring terms. High school students join field trips and learn about civic leadership. The collaboration with community partners promotes critical thinking and community development. Over eight months, participants share activities focused on team building, college life and college programs, and strategic communication. Students also learn about personal advocacy.
I would like to schedule a meeting with you and talk about the program benefits for your students. Thank you in advance for your support.

See THIS LINK to learn more about the Oregon Leadership Institute and register to participate HERE.

Are you a high school junior or senior interested in learning more about careers in architecture, construction, or engineering? ACE may be for you! The ACE Mentor Program of Oregon is a free after-school program that runs from January to May. Seniors interested in these career paths are eligible to apply for ACE scholarships to a four-year university, community college, or apprenticeship training program. Find more information at this link: https://www.acementoroforegon.com/students.html

Virtual Info Session, Thursday, October 9, 2025 · 6 - 7pm
In Person Info Session, Tuesday, November 4, 2025 · 5 - 6 pm

We are excited to announce that applications are now open for the 2026 cycle of the PSI program, which is designed to introduce high school students from underrepresented minority groups to biomedical research.

The PSI program offers a 16-week course from OHSU researchers that provides students with a foundational understanding of the scientific process, as well as current perspectives on diverse topics from neuroscience to ethics. Afterwards, there is an opportunity to be paired with a mentor for a summer research internship experience. There is no cost to students. We meet virtually on Wednesday evenings from January to May.

To apply, students must submit their applications, along with a teacher recommendation, by December 1st, 2025. Detailed program information and the application forms can be found on our website at: https://www.psiprogramohsu.com/

The Oregon Leadership Institute (OLI) is an exciting free program for high school juniors and seniors focused on leadership skills, public speaking, and emotional intelligence skills for high school students. OLI pairs college-level students with high school students interested in college and career ideas. OLI pairs students from all backgrounds and nationalities.

The program offers a tuition-free series of workshops and training sessions during the fall, winter, and spring terms. High school students join field trips and learn about civic leadership. The collaboration with community partners promotes critical thinking and community development. Over eight months, participants share activities focused on team building, college life and college programs, and strategic communication. Students also learn about personal advocacy.
I would like to schedule a meeting with you and talk about the program benefits for your students. Thank you in advance for your support.

See THIS LINK to learn more about the Oregon Leadership Institute and register to participate HERE.

FAFSA/ORSAA and Oregon Promise Night at CHS- Thur. 10/2

Corban University tabling at lunch- Fri. 10/3

Seattle University presentation- Thur. 10/9

Oregon Tech presentation- Wed. 10/15

University of Oregon presentation- Mon. 10/20

University of Portland presentation- Fri. 10/24

Pacific Northwest College of Art presentation- Mon. 10/27

Reed College presentation- Tues. 10/28

Southern Oregon University presentation- Wed. 10/29

Mt. Hood Community College presentation- Thur. 10/30

Western Oregon University presentation- Mon. 11/3

Portland Community College and Future Connect presentation- Fri. 11/7

OSU Beaver VIP event at CHS- Fri. 12/5

List of College, Trade, and Career Related PRESENTATIONS (with links to sign up)

List of College, Trade, and Career Related FIELD TRIPS/EVENTS

For more information about any of these events, see Mr. Henderson in the College and Career Center or contact him at mike_henderson@csd28j.org.

Golden Door Scholars *for undocumented students- Due Oct. 31

Voice of Democracy Scholarship- Due Oct. 31

Elks Lodge Most Valuable Student Scholarship *choose the Gateway-Gresham Elks Lodge #1805 as your sponsoring Lodge- Due Nov. 12

Jack Cooke Kent Scholarship - Due Nov. 14

Hagan Scholarship Foundation- Due Dec. 1

The Coolidge Scholarship *for Juniors only- Due Dec. 11

Equitable Excellence Scholarship- Due Dec. 18

Amazon’s Future Engineer Scholarship and Internship- Due Dec. 19

The HOME DEPOT Foundation's Path to Pro Scholarship- Due Dec. 31

2025-2026 CHS and Local Scholarships: CHS students should apply for the CHS scholarships because CHS students will receive them. The local scholarships are also a good option because the have less applicants that state wide, and nation wide scholarships. This will be updated as needed. Keep checking back for current due dates and application links.

Attention students who want to go to college in the Western United States but not in Oregon. Are you worried about the added cost of "out of state tuition"? Although it is true that some colleges will charge you more money for tuition since you are not from their state, there are ways to minimize that added cost. The Western Undergraduate Exchange is a program that allows you to pay less when you attend one of 160 colleges in the Western United States. See this THIS FLIER for more information. See Mr. Henderson in the College and Career Center if you have any questions or to discuss how this program works.

https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/wue/

Are you looking for an easy and convenient way to learn about colleges and their admissions process? Plan to attend the National College Fair-Portland. This event is free to any student and parents. Stop by booths and meet college reps, learn about programs, admissions, scholarships and more. All ages are welcome to attend.

Register here for Oct 12: https://www.nacacnet.org/event_detail/nacac-national-college-fair-portland-session-1-of-2/

Register here for Oct 13: https://www.nacacnet.org/event_detail/nacac-national-college-fair-portland-session-2-of-2/

This free college-planning publication provides students and families with important information and tools to guide their pursuit of postsecondary education. Opportunities guides are available in English and Spanish. The state-specific booklets are the same as the national booklets with the addition of state-specific information on colleges, financial aid, and resources. Oregon Opportunities English Version. Spanish version coming soon.

Do you like working with your hands? Do you like to see a project completed that you contributed to? Do you want a high paying job with no college needed and no college debt? An apprenticeship in the trades might be for you.

What is an apprenticeship? Watch this 6 min. Video

Apprenticeship requirements

Check out the options for high paying jobs in the trades at this website: Accessing Union Apprenticeships

American Fire Sprinkler Association - Any skilled trade

Beauty Changes Lives - Barber, Hairstyling, Cosmetology, Estheticians

Automotive Hall of Fame - Automotive Career

TechForce - All Motor Mechanics

Futuro Health - Healthcare Workers

Below is the schedule of when the branches of the military will have a table set up at the 2 lunches at CHS.

Air Force- TBD

Army- 3rd Wednesday of each month

Coast Guard- TBD

Marines- 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month

Navy- 1st Wednesday of each month

Oregon Army National Guard- 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month

See Mr. Henderson in the College and Career Center or email him at mike_henderson@csd28j.org if you want to set up an individual meeting with a recruiter from one of the branches of the military.

Email: mike_henderson@csd28j.org
Website: https://mikehenderson20.wixsite.com/website
Location: 3505 Southeast 182nd Avenue, Gresham, OR, USA
Phone: 503-762-6180 ext. 5574