Access to Higher Education for Single Mothers Through Scholarships

Yan Susanto
Yan Susanto, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Oct 26, 2011 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."
Today, quality education comes at a price that a bulk of the population cannot afford. Fortunately, the door is not closed on those who have the determination to pursue their education in spite of their financial setbacks.

Thanks to scholarship programs, many single mothers are offered opportunities to pursue college degrees as their start to building up their future careers. From government agencies to private organizations, scholarships are offered either as financial packages or direct matriculation assistance.

Professional organizations like nursing and doctors' associations advocate for the promotion of their field through scholarship opportunities. Some may require membership access first before these opportunities are given.

Some of these organizations that offer scholarships for single mothers are:

  1. Future Educators Association Scholarships

    At least 30 high school and college students are recipients of this grant. The catch, of course is that they have to be majoring in education as part of the agreement. With an annual membership fee of $8, you need to be enlisted in the organization in order to benefit from the scholarship.

  2. IEEE Power and Energy Society Scholarship Plus Initiative

    $2,000 awaits the recipient of this award plus an additional $5,000 if the student maintains eligible status for more than two years. This is given to undergraduates taking up electrical or power engineering or students enrolled in an ABET accredited four-year university with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

  3. American School Health Association Scholarship

    This is offered to students pursuing courses in the medical field such as nursing, dentistry and health education. They should be in the junior or senior level and currently enrolled either full time or part time. Three recipients will be chosen and each will be given $500.

  4. National FFA Scholarships

    Standing for Future Farmers of America, the FFA takes under its wings at least 1,000 students, organization members or not. The best part is, students can receive grants for their high school education which can continue up to college.

  5. High School Essay Contest

    Sponsored by the Society of Professional Journalists, the contests aims to help budding writers and journalists enrolled in grades 9-12. It is a way of building their passion for the craft and to promote the importance of education as a solid foundation for the future. The society awards $1,000, $500 and $300 to the winners of first place, second place, and third place, respectively.

With every dark cloud comes a silver lining. And for underprivileged students & needy single mothers hoping for a chance to finish their education, this lining comes in the form of scholarships from organizations that understand the value of quality education.

In addition to educational scholarships, grants for single mothers may also be available through their state government; each with its own set of eligibility requirements, application processes and award amounts.

Published by Yan Susanto

Yan is a self-confessed coffee addict and co-founder of Buzzly.net. Though his educational background shows nothing of his interest and skills in writing, he is extremely passionate about expressing his thou...  View profile

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