College & Career Chronicles
with Ms. Stevie
December 16, 2022
Meet Ms. Stevie
Check it out! Do you see the pennant of your future college?
What To Do During Winter Break?
- Volunteer In Your Community. This time of year can prove difficult for many. Consider volunteering your time at a senior living home, hospital, soup kitchen, homeless shelter, or community center.
- Virtual College Tours. TYPE: “Virtual college tour” into Google and go from there! Amazon Prime Video has a great series called The College Tour if you are a prime member.
- Seniors Work On Your College Application. Finish those supplemental questions and hit submit!
- Search For Scholarships. Scroll down for the scholarship button to help you on your way.
- Seniors Fill Out OSAC. Apply for over $38 million in grants and scholarships. Scroll down for more information.
- Seniors Complete Your FAFSA.
- Ask A College Student. Do you know a college student that is back home for winter break? Ask them about their college experience! What do they wish they knew before they went?
- Read Your Notes. It's easy to forget what you have learned over the semester and finals lurk right around the corner. If you can set a time to go over your notes every other day during break, you will be surprised by how much it helps!
- Rest & Recharge. High School is stressful. Applying to colleges can get overwhelming. Self care is important. Make sure you are taking time to reconnect with yourself and do something that makes your heart happy.
Public vs. Private
This article from US News breaks down the differences quite nicely.
While there are no more scheduled college visits to LOHS, you are always welcome to set up an individual appointment with the Admissions Rep at the college/university you are interested in. If you need help finding your rep, send Ms. Stevie an email and she will track the information down.
Events
Upcoming School Events
The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round...
PCC Preview Day
When: January 13, 2023
Where: Portland Community College - Rock Creek Campus
Who: Seniors and Juniors interested in attending PCC
- Get valuable information on how to prepare to attend PCC
- Hear about programs, degrees, and certificates
- Spend time interacting with PCC faculty and staff
- Learn about financial aid and other scholarship opportunities
If you are interested in attending this event, please fill out this permission form and turn it in to Ms. Stevie by January 6, 2023
From the Comfort of Your Own Home
In the Community
Trade Highlight of the Month - Firefighter
Firefighters are first responders who arrive on the scene of a fire, accident, or other emergency situation. They enter burning buildings and other perilous locations, perform rescue operations and strive to protect their communities from harm. It is a dangerous job that is both physically and mentally demanding. For this reason, being a firefighter requires a commitment to the job and a desire to help protect their community.
Being a firefighter is not easy and neither is the process of becoming a firefighter. The CPAT, or physical ability test, is difficult and strenuous with candidates often needing to take it multiple times. After passing the tests, the hiring process begins. With tough competition and hiring process that is often challenging and grueling, many people do not endure or succeed. In fact, more than 70% give up the pursuit of becoming a firefighter and move on to other career choices.
Working as a firefighter is anything but your typical 9-5 job. The majority of fire departments work on a 24 hour rotation meaning a firefighter works a 24 hr shift followed by 48 hrs off. Firefighters who combat wildfires often work for extended periods, sometimes days or weeks. They often stay on location working in shifts with other firefighters.
Salary ranges from $51,639 - $93,291 in the Portland area.
Firefighter Jobs
- Volunteer Firefighter: Volunteer firefighters provide part-time support to their local fire stations. They remain on-call to respond to emergencies and often handle wildfires in places where there aren't enough salaried firefighters.
- Inspector: An inspector ensures buildings are up to fire safety codes.
- Wildland Firefighter: Wildland firefighters focus on stopping wildfires in wilderness areas prone to burning.
- Firefighter Engineer: A firefighter engineer mainly works with the fire engines and trucks that transport firefighters to the scene of a fire. They drive in emergency situations and set up tools like water hoses and ladders for other firefighters to use.
- Airport Firefighter: An airport firefighter specializes in handling airplane fires on runways and other airport emergencies.
- Firefighter/EMT: A firefighter/EMT responds to medical and fire emergencies. Many firefighters have EMT certification so that they can provide medical services to people and animals while on the scene of a dangerous situation.
- Firefighter/Paramedic: Firefighter/paramedics extinguish fires and respond to emergencies, but they also provide diagnoses and medical procedures on the scene.
- Fire Investigator: Fire investigators come in after extinguishing a fire to determine what caused it.
- Fire Marshall: Fire marshals are high-level firefighters who enforce fire codes, investigate fires and oversee fire prevention efforts.
- Fire Chief: Fire chiefs preside over firefighters in their stations or special divisions. While they still fight fires in the field, fire chiefs also manage the business side of their stations.
Becoming a Firefighter
You can join a Firefighter Recruit Academy like this one in Portland or you can receive your associates (or even bachelors) in fire science. Did you know there are fire science programs throughout the state of Oregon?
- Portland Community College
- Clackamas Community College
- Eastern Oregon University
- Chemeketa Community College
- Central Oregon Community College
- Southwestern Oregon Community College
- Oregon Institute of Technology
- Blue Mountain Community College
- Clatsop Community College
- Treasure Valley Community College
- Umpqua Community College
Some Nuts & Bolts
Paying for College
FAFSA
Did You Know?
OSAC Scholarship and The Ford Family Scholarship applications are OPEN!
The OSAC Scholarship Application is a common application that supports between 500-600 scholarships each year. These scholarships are for Oregon students with each scholarship having it's own criteria and limitations. Some of these scholarships DO allow students to attend college outside of Oregon.
To access the OSAC Scholarship Application, click here
Most high school students will want to apply to the Ford Scholars program, which funds high school graduates who are seeking a bachelor's degree. While the Ford Scholars are very generous financially, the true value in the scholarship comes in the form of ongoing support from The Ford Family Foundation, including a success coach, leadership development and an active alumni network. This scholarship is open to students from Oregon (and Siskiyou County California), and students must attend college or university in their home state. View the flyer below for more information about the Ford Scholars Program.
To access The Ford Family Foundation Scholarships, click here
