SCHOLARSHIPS

SCHOLARSHIP BULLETIN

  • SHS Students Services will update the Scholarship Bulletin once a month. Please know this is just a small sampling of the hundreds of scholarships out there. Visit the lists below.

SECU PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE SCHOLARSHIP

  • The State Employees Credit Union People Helping People Scholarship awards at least one Sanderson HS senior $10,000, paid over 8 consecutive semesters, to one of the 16 public UNC system universities. 
     
    The People Helping People Scholarship recognizes leadership, integrity, and community involvement. A minimum 2.5 unweighted GPA is required. The senior or the parent/guardian must be a member of SECU at the time of application.
     
    Preference in selection is given to students whose parents/guardians or family members are public sector employees in North Carolina. Additionally, preference is given to students majoring in public service degree programs. While not a requirement, identification of a financial need, as determined by submission of a Free Application for Federal student Aid (FAFSA), is also considered. The student selected should not be the recipient of other large scholarships.
     
    How to apply: The NC State Employees Credit Union requires all applicants to follow the formal application process set by the SECU Foundation. Students must read the (3) attached documents thoroughly and follow the step-by-step process to apply through the DocuSign online portal.
     
    1. SECU People Helping People (PHP) Eligibility Criteria
    2. PHP Application Process
    3. PHP FAQs
    Students must verify their own (or parent/guardian's) SECU membership prior to submitting their application. So, students should start this process well ahead of the application deadline so that SECU membership can be confirmed or applied for. Once SECU membership is verified, the PHP application will be emailed to the student from NCSECU. The student will complete and submit all application components online via DocuSign.
      
    How to Submit to SHS: 
    Once the student completes the online application through DocuSign, they should download/save it and email their completed packet, with all required components, to Jessica Martz, SHS school counselor, at JLMartz@wcpss.net no later than Monday, 2/9/26 by 3pm for SHS scholarship committee review. Put this title in the Subject Line: Last Name, First Name, SECU
    Please contact Ms. Martz with any questions.

    Deadline: February 9 by 3 PM
    Details & Application:

FUTURE TEACHERS PROGRAM

  • High school seniors, WCPSS wants you!
    Our Future Teachers Program supports Wake County high school graduating seniors who plan to major in education and are committed to returning to teach within our district.
    WCPSS Future Teachers receive guaranteed job offers, tailored professional learning and stipends of up to $4,500 over four years.
    The Future Teachers program is also open to first or second-year college students enrolled in a teacher preparation program at:
    • Meredith College
    • NC Central University
    • NC State
    • Saint Augustine’s University
    • Shaw University
    • The College at Southeastern
    • UNC-Chapel Hill
    • Wake Technical Community College
    • William Peace University
    Not convinced yet? The program is hosting a virtual information session at 5 p.m. on Jan. 29, where attendees will learn more about the program, the application process, and hear from current cohort members.
    Register today and take the first step towards kickstarting your teaching career in Wake County: https://bit.ly/4pJ3s0Y

SHS PTO SCHOLARSHIPS

  • EXCELLENCE / ACHIEVEMENT / SUCCESS SCHOLARSHIPS

    Each scholarship is a single-year $2,000 scholarship.

    Each of these three merit-based scholarships will be awarded to a Senior student who will finish his/her high school career with a weighted GPA of 3.0 and higher. Students will be ranked by GPA, and then divided into three equal groups for consideration for these awards. The Scholarship Committee will take into account the applicant's extracurricular activities, community service, academic honors and work experience. There will be an essay and an interview.

    PERSEVERANCE SCHOLARSHIP

    The Perseverance Scholarship has been designed for a Senior student who has overcome personal adversity, has finished his/her high school studies and wishes to continue his/her education. Selection of the recipient will be based on an essay and an interview with the Scholarship Committee. GPA is NOT a factor in the selection for this scholarship.

MIDTOWN RALEIGH ALLIANCE SCHOLARSHIP

  • COMMUNITY HERO SCHOLARSHIP

    Single Year $1500 year 

    Applicants competing for the scholarship will have a GPA of 3.5 or better and be on track to graduate in the spring. Applicants will have a demonstrated history of community service and engagement throughout their high school experience. Applicants are also given the opportunity to provide a letter of recommendation from a current or previous teacher, coach or counselor. Lastly, applicants will provide a written essay.

SCHOLARSHIP SOURCES

LARGE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS

  • Are you interested in applying for any of these large scholarship programs?
    All three of these competitive full-ride scholarship programs now allow self-nominations. Please visit their websites soon to learn about their application process and deadlines. Some are very soon!  Contact your school counselor if you have any questions.

FINANCIAL AID

  • FAFSA website: http://fafsa.gov

    Basics of Financial Aid

    Residency Determination Service: https://ncresidency.cfnc.org/residencyInfo/pdf/RDSBasicsHS.pdf

    It is a great idea to fill out the FAFSA and the RDS at the same time since they require some of the same information. 

    All students who plan to attend a community college or a 4 year public college/university in North Carolina will be required to complete the Residency Determination Service forms. These are required forms to determine your residency for in-state tuition. This form can ONLY be filled out through the College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC) website. For that reason, you must create a CFNC account if you do not have one already. Additionally, all official transcripts must be sent to in-state schools (both 2 year and 4 year) through CFNC's Transcript Manager function.

    CFNC Website 

     

    FINANCIAL AID ASSISTANCE

    We have a financial aid advisor at Sanderson on Wednesdays from 8am-12pm. Mary Ann Norwood is available to meet with students and parents. To make an appointment, students and parents can email Mrs. Norwood at mnorwood@wcpss.net. Mrs. Norwood will also be visiting each Senior English class each semester to talk about financial aid.

     

    RESOURCE

    Sallie Mae ® unveiled a one-stop college-planning destination, created with, and for, high school educators and counselors. Their new site provides access to free, online college planning tools, short educational videos on financial aid, a free scholarship search engine with access to billions of dollars in scholarships, a college planning calculator, and other valuable information to help guide students and their families through the planning for college process.

    A group of high school counselors from across the country helped the company develop the right resources, including videos, blog posts, and FAQs, for topics like completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), obtaining scholarships, budgeting for college, navigating financial aid offer letters, and understanding student loans. Please visit: https://www.salliemae.com/college-planning/