The Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts began their series of Student Success Events with the “Show Me the Money” seminar which they partnered with the Office of National Scholarships on Jan. 17 in Edwards 257, where the rest of the events will also take place.

Throughout the semester, the Edwards College has planned events that focus on student success and provide resources for students to use to help them achieve their goals. Director of National Scholarships Judith Zang went over the process of how to find and apply for available scholarships and the difference of financial aid.

The scholarships are offered from various organizations that each have different requirements and eligibility cases, and Zang is available to students to help through the entire process.

“I help you tell your story…my favorite part is helping students tell their story because we all have something special about us,” said Zang.

Zang said an important step is having an academic resume and she helps students create them in appointments with her.

“Right now, I’m booked until about the end of January, but email me now so I can get you in to see me during February and get started on these scholarships,” Zang said. “These scholarships want to help and fund your goals and create future leaders who will make more communities more equitable. Just with the experiences they can offer you, such as abroad studies which are my favorite scholarships.”

On the Office of National Scholarships webpage on coastal.edu, there are currently more than 81 scholarships available with some added daily as Zang said she updated the page frequently. Out of those, 38 are study abroad opportunities. Some awards have class limits and others accept alumni.

Students who attended the event were surprised by the resources available and money on the table for them to pursue their dreams, such as freshman sports communication major Xavier Ankner. He said he was glad he attended.

“There’s a lot of opportunity and resources and there are plenty of people here to help make this college thing work and help us with future endeavors that I didn’t really know before,” Ankner said.

As a summary piece of advice, Zang said the most important part of applying for these scholarships is starting early.

“Start early and keep connected with what’s going around you locally and globally,” she said. “Build a team of mentors and most importantly you need to have intellectual curiosity.”

For more information visit the Office of National Scholarships webpage or email Zang at [email protected].