Maggie Koroleski, an incoming freshman at Cleary, has some valuable advice to share with fellow students. The Bad Axe resident, who plans to obtain a degree in accounting and play softball for the Cougars, worked relentlessly for months to achieve her goal of helping fund her education. She arrived at Cleary as the recipient of nine scholarships, which will pay for her entire first semester!
It was a long, tedious and strategically-planned journey – one that all students can pursue with success, she learned.
The process started with Koroleski’s school counselor who helped the high school senior begin her search for local scholarships. “Thanks to her guidance and direction, my mom and I researched local foundations and other organizations to find ones that were offering scholarships,” Koroleski says. Literally dozens of scholarship opportunities were available, and she began applying for them early in her senior year.
“Time management skills are essential,” she points out. Every application came with a detailed process and hard deadlines, and Koroleski met every single one. She also relied on a writing coach at her school who reviewed her essays and provided advice on how to fine tune them.
She was thrilled to receive nine scholarships! One was a four-year renewable scholarship that was awarded to only 25 students in the entire county! These scholarships will pay for her entire first semester at Cleary.
Koroleski believes any student can accomplish what she did – with hard work, discipline and wise use of time. “If I had 20 minutes of free time, I would use it to work on applications.”
She also recommends that students “take your time” when completing every application. “Don’t rush through the process; be thorough. Set aside specific time for schoolwork and scholarship work. And take advantage of the resources at your high school; my counselors were invaluable!”
Koroleski also received a softball scholarship from Cleary. She knew this was the school for her shortly after she arrived for a tour of the campus. She liked the softball coach and the players, “everyone on campus was so friendly, and I liked the smallness of the campus. It reminded me of home.”
Cleary offers many scholarship opportunities
Cleary University is dedicated to working one-on-one with students to find scholarships, grants and other funding sources to help pay for your education. Here are a few scholarship opportunities available at Cleary:
Cougar Country Promise
Cleary guarantees to provide students with no cost or low cost tuition. The Cleary Country Promise is awarded to students based on their completed FAFSA, eligibility for the Michigan Achievement Scholarship and an SAI below 30000.
Lake Trust Foundation Scholarship
Lake Trust Foundation, in partnership with Cleary, awards a full-tuition Michigan Impact Scholarship to new, incoming students who meet specific criteria established through Lake Trust Foundation and Cleary. Funds can be used for up to four years for on-campus or online courses, and undergraduate or graduate degree programs.
Alumni Legacy Scholarship
Dependents and grandchildren of Cleary graduates are eligible to receive a 20 percent grant toward tuition.
DECA
DECA students enrolled at Cleary full-time are eligible for a scholarship of $20,000 ($5,000 a year for four years), $10,000 ($2,500 a year for four years) or $4,000 ($1,000 a year).
CEO Scholarship
Cleary partners with many businesses and organizations to offer a tuition discount to eligible students who are employees or dependents of a partner organization.
Courage and Public Service Scholarship
Cleary offers a 50 percent discount on tuition for first responders, emergency personnel, civic and municipal employees, clinical healthcare professionals and others who qualify. This is an ideal opportunity for working adults to complete their degree (often in one year) and maintain work and family life balance. One hundred percent of classes are offered online. In addition, spouses and dependents of those who qualify may be eligible for a 25 percent tuition discount after non-loan aid has been applied.
Dual Enrollment/Early College Scholarship
Cleary offers a 30 percent tuition discount for eligible students who have completed Dual Enrollment or Early College programs.
Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship
New, incoming transfer students who were members of Phi Theta Kappa are eligible for a Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship up to $1,000 a year for two years.
Military Service Scholarship
Veterans who have exhausted their VA benefits are eligible to receive up to a 50 percent tuition discount. In addition, immediate family members of veterans who have exhausted their 9-11 GI Bill benefits also may be eligible for Cleary’s Military Service Scholarship.
Wilma Louise Cleary Memorial Scholarship
This scholarship of $3,000 is awarded to an incoming freshman for outstanding community service and academic excellence.
Other scholarships offered at Cleary include academic excellence, athletic excellence Presidential, Enterprise, Entrepreneurship, transfer student and more.
For details on these scholarships and their eligibility requirements, visit Cleary.edu.
Cleary offers this advice to students looking for scholarships
Financial aid consultants and online scholarship search companies can be helpful, but check them out carefully before pursuing them. To check their credentials, visit trusted websites such as the US Department of Education (https://studentaid.gov/resources/scams), the Federal Trade Commission (https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-avoid-scholarship-and-financial-aid-scams), and the Better Business Bureau (https://www.bbb/org).
The best place to start when looking for scholarships is with your high school guidance counselor who receives scholarship information regularly. Some schools will post scholarship opportunities on their website. For example, Hartland High School produces the Scholarship Gazette, which lists scholarships open to Hartland and Livingston County residents (22-23-Outside-Scholarships-1.pdf (cleary.edu).
If you are planning to attend Cleary, contact one of our admissions representatives. If you need help with completing your FAFSA or understanding the different types of financial aid, Cleary’s Financial Aid Office will help – at no charge. Contact admissions@cleary.edu.
