In 2022, I was a senior in high school and was awarded eight different scholarships, but I was also rejected from a bunch.

My rule of thumb is to choose to apply for local scholarships. Local scholarships typically open at the end of the year or late into the fall semester of high school into the spring semester of high school. There are also different types of scholarships; check out this blog post to learn more about them.

1. Maisin Scholarship:
   The Maisin Scholarship is excellent because it’s a recurring scholarship that awards about ~$3,000/yr for four college years. It typically opens in November.
2. 10,000 Degrees Scholarship:
   The 10,000 Degrees Scholarship is very nice because it’s one application that can qualify you for multiple scholarships.
3. Mayor London Breed Bridge to Excellence Scholarship:
   Each year, Mayor Breed opens up her scholarship to award students who’ve shown exceptional leadership despite educational barriers. The scholarship is typically ~$2,500-$5,000 one-time.
4. PTA Scholarship:
   If you aren’t already involved in the PTA/PTSA at your school, you should because the California PTA awards scholarships in each district every year! It’s typically a one-time $1,000 scholarship.

Those are my top four scholarships to keep an eye out for. Remember that scholarships often ask you to write an essay and even provide a letter of recommendation. With that in mind, ensure that you ask for a letter of recommendation timely and complete the essays early so they can be edited and reviewed. Check out this blog post for our recommendations about the letter of recommendation.

If you’re a junior reading the blog post and wondering what opportunity there might be for you, check out the Koshland Scholarship – it typically opens at the beginning of the spring semester of your junior year.