College & Career Center Newsletter

FAFSA:

FAFSA stands for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which is a free application form from the U.S. Department of Education used to determine a student's eligibility for federal financial aid, such as grants, work-study programs, and loans. Many states and colleges also use the information from the FAFSA to award their own grants and scholarships, making it the primary source of financial aid for college or career school.

Seniors this year will complete the 26-27 FAFSA application and will use 2024 tax information. Students will need to complete their application first and will invite their parent to complete their portion of the application. Parents, please wait for the emailed invitation.

Students and parents will each need to first create an account at the link below.

Link to FAFSA: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa

The Oregon Student Aid Application (ORSAA) is an alternative to the FAFSA for undocumented Oregon students including students who have Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status or Temporary Protected Status (TPS). By filing the ORSAA, eligible undocumented and DACA students in Oregon can get help paying for college through grants, scholarships, and tuition reduction. Students should use the FAFSA/ORSAA Filter Tool to determine which financial aid form they are eligible for.

ORSAA Resources:

• ORSAA Tip Sheets (English) (Español). This PDF will guide you through the ORSAA process and outline how to apply for other financial aid in Oregon.
• Guide to the ORSAA (English). This guide breaks down the application sections and purpose.
• 5 Tips for Completing the ORSAA (English (Español). A video of tips for students and families as they start the ORSAA. A full playlist of videos for ORSAA filers is available here.
• Drop-in Sessions for students/families to ask questions about FAFSA or ORSAA with Spanish speaking OSAC staff – Dates/ times should be posted by the end of today 10/1
• ORSAA-related questions – contact ORSAAHelp@hecc.oregon.gov or (800) 452-8807 (Monday - Friday, 8:00 - 4:30 PT).

The Oregon Promise is a state grant that helps cover tuition costs at any Oregon community college for recent high school graduates. Students must apply during their senior year .

Complete all of the steps by your application deadline (varies by graduation date). For most students, you MUST apply during your senior year of high school (before you graduate).

How to Apply:

• Submit the Oregon Promise application in the OSAC Student Portal.
• Submit the FAFSA or ORSAA for the year that you will start college.
• List at least one Oregon community college on the FAFSA or ORSAA
  
  

Questions? Ask Mrs. Molony @ molony5@gresham.k12.or.us

Seniors, come to the college and career center for FAFSA/ORSAA help during both lunches on October 16th and November 3rd. We will also have a Spanish speaking financial aid specialist available on November 3rd.

Sign Up here for help: https://forms.gle/85Z4tvd4f1uCKtkm9

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.

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, October 8 at 6:00 p.m! ECMC is hosting their annual Paying for College webinar with The Ford Family Foundation and the Oregon Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

The session will be available in English, Spanish and (new this year!) Russian, with live Q&A available in English & Spanish. Financial aid experts from around the state will be available to answer questions, including anonymous questions.
Students, families and anyone who is interested, can register for this free event at:
https://bit.ly/PFCE_OR

Want to see a calendar of upcoming college visitors?

Check here for more information, dates and times. (Scroll down the site to the calendar of events.)

Students will be excused from class to attend these visits. Please check in with your teacher in advance.

10/1/2025 Linfield University @ 8:35 AM

10/1/2025 Portland Community College Application Wkshp(Seniors) @ 10:56 AM

10/6/2025 Western Oregon University @ 10:30 AM

10/07/2025 Oregon State University @ 10:30 AM

10/8/2025 Pacific Northwest College of Art @ 8:30 AM

10/14/2025 Central Oregon Community College @ 1:30 PM

10/15/2025 Oregon Tech University @ 12:30 PM

10/17/2025 Gonzaga University @ 8:30 AM

10/17/2025 University of Oregon @ 10:30 AM
10/22/2025 University of Portland @ 8:30 AM

10/23/2025 Carroll College (Montana) @ 9:30 AM

10/28/2025 Reed College @ 12:30 PM

10/29/2025 Lewis & Clark College @ 1:30 PM

10/31/2025 Arizona State University-Tempe @ 7:35 AM

Kaiser Permenente - Oct 1

Portland Fire & Rescue - Oct 3

Turner Construction - Oct 8

GreenWorks Landscape Architecture - Oct 14

Christenson Electric Business/Electrical - Oct 24

KGW News - Oct TBA

Complete an Interest Form and a Parent/Guardian Permission Form to register. Spots are limited and both forms must be completed to reserve one, so complete ASAP.

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/

Sophomores and juniors that signed up to take the PSAT, don't forget! You signed up, you paid the fee, now remember to take the test. Juniors, this test can possibly qualify you for the National Merit scholarship.

National Merit Scholarship Corporation - Overview

Voice of Democracy Scholarship-due Oct. 31

Zombie Apocalypse-due Oct 31

Elks Lodge Most Valuable Student Scholarship-due Nov. 12

Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award-due Nov 15
NHS Scholarship-due Nov 24

Ron Brown Scholarship-due Dec 1
McDonald's Hacer Scholarship - TBD

Jiffy Lube 'What Drives You" Scholarship-Due March 9

Local Scholarships

Comprehensive Scholarship List

Oregon Goes to College Scholarship List-various due dates

Looking for a convenient scholarship search engine? Try goingmerry.com (open to all ages)

American Fire Sprinkler Association - due Jan 1

US Junior Chamber International - due Jan 12

Connex - due Feb 15

Oregon State Elks Assocciatio Vocational Grant - due March 1

DeWalt Trade School Scholarship - due March 1

Mike Rowe Works Foundation - due Early 2026

Oregon Goes to College Scholarship List - Construction, Manufacturing, Automotive, Culinary and Cosmetology Scholarship Opportunities

More Trade Scholarships

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

To decide on a college application deadline, first, identify the deadlines offered by your chosen schools, which include Early Decision, Early Action, Regular Decision, and Rolling Admission. Then, consider your personal situation, such as how prepared you are for the application, your need for financial aid comparison, and your commitment level, to determine the best fit for you.

Find more information on college application deadlines through ACT.

Careers Booklet - English - This publication is aimed at the career planning needs of students. It contains information about how to select and prepare for a career.

Careers Booklet - Spanish

Oregon Opportunities Guide -This booklet contains information to help high school students prepare for postsecondary education, choose a college, and apply for financial aid. Read more about the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), sources of federal and state aid, and eligibility criteria. The Oregon section contains details about financial aid resources administered by OSAC.

Oregon Opportunities Guide-Spanish - Coming soon!

ASPIRE Calendar 25-26 - The 2025-2026 ASPIRE Calendar includes a checklist of career and college going activities as well as important monthly dates and events.

Midge Collins (she/her) - Career Coordinator

collins53@gresham.k12.or.us 503-258-4885

Tia Molony (she/her) - College Coordinator

molony5@gresham.k12.or.us 503-258-4890