Class of 2010 strikes scholarship bonanza

0 Comments | Maryland Gazette, Jul 24, 2010 | by ELISABETH HULETTE

This year’s high school senior class scored more college scholarship offers than any in county history, according to public school officials.

The Class of 2010 reported they were offered $64.9 million – a solid jump from the $56.5 million reported by the class of 2009.

“In this economy, I couldn’t think of better news,” said Gayle Cicero, the county coordinator of school counseling.

The numbers are tracked and reported each year by school officials, who collect the information from students. Except for grants like the federal Pell Grants, all scholarships are counted – everything from need-based financial aid to athletic scholarships to scholarships awarded by companies and organizations.

Because the number reflects offers and not actual dollars used by students, some who applied to many colleges had lots of scholarships to report.

One Northeast High School student, Maya Mundell, netted about $1.15 million by scoring free rides to three colleges, plus the Gates Millennium Scholarship from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Gates scholarship would pick up the tab for any of the six schools to which she was accepted, making her total more than $1 million. That made up a significant portion of the $4.8 million in scholarships netted by her class.

Some schools reported smaller amounts, some more. North County High School reported just $1.7 million, compared with South River High School’s $9.3 million
federal grants for college