ROCK ISLAND, Illinois — Though the 2020 school year at Rock Island High School looks different, one thing remains the same.
Students are applying for scholarships.
"I tried to make it as accessible and as easy as possible," said Julie Churchill, one of five school counselors at Rock Island High School.
Churchill is also the scholarships coordinator at the school. She has compiled scholarships into a central spot for Rocky students, which they can access through their "Google Classroom." Many of those scholarships are specifically for students of color.
"A student can then go in and say, well, the Jackie Robinson Fund is for students of color, it's a national scholarship, I qualify for that I would like to apply for it, versus the Alpha Kappa Alpha, which is a local scholarship, and that's for Black female students," Churchill explained.
Churchill also recommends online databases like "Going Merry." That site takes a student's demographic information into account, and recommends scholarships they qualify for.
"There's so many websites and resources out there, which can actually be overwhelming for students," Churchill said.
It can be so overwhelming that some students do not know where to start to find those opportunities. There are at least dozens more scholarships available, specifically for Black students.
"Whatever it is that they need, if we cannot meet their need, we will find that source," said Carlos Jimenez, who works at the Martin Luther King Center in Rock Island. "We will find that source to seek some further guidance."
Jimenez said the MLK Center can be a starting point for students who don't know where else to begin.
"We can assist them and refer them to any scholarships that are available in the Quad City area," Jimenez said.
While it may seem overwhelming, there are people and places to help find the next opportunity.
Some additional scholarships for Black students, specifically can be found at this link, and also on this "Going Merry" web page. There are many other resources available online, in addition to these two websites.