Where is your student today?
There is a place to begin at every age. Choose the stage that fits, then take one small step together.
Early years
Pre-K through 4th grade: build curiosity, math confidence, reading skills, and a family brag file.
Explore this stage →Middle school
Grades 5–8: try career exploration, purposeful service, writing contests, and competitions.
Explore this stage →High school & college
Connect your student’s experiences to scholarships, applications, mentors, and a plan for funding.
High school → College →Momma, you steer the ship. Stay involved, help your student find the people and tools they need, and let them lead in age-appropriate ways. Your family does not have to do everything at once.
Every day is math day.
A child doesn’t need a career plan to begin. Start with confidence, curiosity, and the belief that learning opens doors.
Make skills part of family life
- Try 10–15 minutes of age-appropriate math practice, using counting, cooking, money, games, or puzzles.
- Read together and talk about the story. Build reading fluency at a comfortable pace, with understanding first.
- Explore math facts and accuracy; invite your student to become more fluent without making speed a source of pressure.
- Read and watch stories that show Black excellence in education, leadership, science, and community life.
Build a place for their wins
- Start a brag file for artwork, certificates, projects, and special moments.
- Talk about interesting jobs. Ask, “What would you like to learn more about?”
- Look for age-appropriate school, library, poster, or academic contests; check each contest’s eligibility.
- Visit a campus or college fair when it works for your family. If you’re old enough for Disney, you’re old enough to visit a college!
A monthly family check-in can be simple: What did we learn? What would our child like to explore next? What belongs in the brag file?
Explore, serve, and start applying.
Think of career exploration like zooming in on a map. Begin with a broad area of interest, then learn more as your student grows. Interests can change.
Ask about careers
Invite your student to choose a field they are curious about. With a parent’s help, ask a trusted professional for a short conversation. Over time, talk with several people and compare what they learned.
Start here: How did you enter this field? What would you do differently? How did you pay for school? What can a student do now? Who else should we speak with?
Connect service to an interest
Try one age-appropriate service project related to a career interest each semester. A student interested in animals could explore shelter volunteering; a future educator might help tutor younger students. Check age and supervision rules.
Record dates, hours, responsibilities, impact, and what the student learned. Keep notes and permission-based photos in the brag file.
Practice applying early
Choose a writing or academic competition to prepare for each semester. Read a past winning essay together, follow the directions, and submit on time.
VFW Patriot’s Pen: grades 6–8 ↗One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest ↗
One Earth includes categories beginning in grade 3. Review its current rules, dates, and prizes; some awards are cash prizes and some are scholarships.
Award planning: Young people can register for the Congressional Award beginning at age 13½. Registration, an eligible advisor, approved goals, and other program rules apply. Explore the award ↗
Turn experiences into opportunities.
Keep a living scholarship résumé, stay close to deadlines, and connect the student’s service and leadership to a story they can tell.
9th & 10th grade
- Build a scholarship résumé. Track activities, service, leadership, skills, awards, and impact.
- Build a Scholarship Squad of trusted adults who can encourage the student and share opportunities.
- Explore careers and talk to people already doing the work; over time, gather five perspectives.
- Continue meaningful service and explore recognition programs and age-eligible competitions.
- Discuss academic and test preparation with the school counselor, based on the student’s goals and needs.
11th & 12th grade
- Search for scholarships that fit the student’s grade, location, interests, experience, and eligibility.
- Turn a real experience into an essay. Adapt the story to each prompt and follow every application rule.
- Study past winners’ work and ask a scholarship winner or knowledgeable reviewer for feedback.
- Ask recommenders who know the student’s work to share specific examples of growth and impact.
- Review college and financial aid deadlines, compare actual costs and offers, and ask about fee waivers.
Free opportunity for eligible juniors & seniors: The Ron Brown Guided Pathway Support (GPS) program provides virtual college access support for African American students. Its eligibility page lists academic and leadership criteria. Explore GPS and check eligibility ↗
The VFW also offers Voice of Democracy, an audio-essay competition for eligible students in grades 9–12. Check current dates and requirements.
The strategy continues in college.
Scholarships do not stop when a student graduates from high school. Make campus relationships and funding searches part of the plan.
Meet the people
Introduce yourself to a professor, department head, advisor, or dean. Ask about scholarships, mentors, research, and career opportunities.
Explore internships
Visit the campus career center and look for internships that fit your goals and schedule. Ask about paid opportunities and financial support.
Explore TMCF internships ↗Keep searching
Check campus and department opportunities each term. Explore national providers and verify requirements for each award.
Explore UNCF opportunities ↗Make the work connect.
Use your student’s interests to choose experiences, document what happens, and tell a meaningful story.
Use every minute five times™
- Career exploration Learn about work that interests your student.
- Community service Find a meaningful, age-appropriate way to help others.
- Recognition Check whether an activity can support an eligible award goal.
- Scholarship résumé Record the role, skills, and impact.
- Scholarship story Reflect on the experience for an essay or interview.
Congressional Award: The program says the same activity and hours cannot be used in two different program areas. Register first, work with an eligible advisor, and follow the current rules. One experience can still support a résumé, reflection, and other goals. Read the program FAQ ↗
From résumé to essay
Choose one real experience. Ask your student:
- What is your goal?
- What did you do?
- Who did you help, and what was the impact?
- What did you learn?
- What would you like to do next?
Adapt the story to each prompt. Ask someone with scholarship experience for feedback, and follow the application’s rules about outside help and AI. The student’s own voice and experience come first.
Watch Dr. Thompson’s scholarship search strategy ↗Keep the plan moving.
Use the No More Sharecropping Education Weekly Scholarship Tracker to organize the search when your student is ready to apply.
What the tracker helps you do
- Estimate the funding gap and set a weekly application target.
- Track scholarship names, deadlines, links, amounts, eligibility, and status.
- Record the essay used, submission date, and follow-up date.
- Flag “Apply Anyway” opportunities for closer review.
- Use a weekly Dead End Day to log submissions, check responses, and plan next steps.
Your target is the value of scholarships applied for—not money already won. Verify eligibility and follow every application’s requirements.
How to make a copy
- Click the button to open the tracker in Google Sheets. Sign in to your Google account if prompted.
- Select Make a copy to create your own version.
- Name the copy and choose where to save it in your Google Drive.
- Enter the student’s costs and aid, then add opportunities and update them at least weekly.
The tracker includes example entries: replace them with your own. Check your copy’s sharing settings before adding personal information.
Not sure of college costs yet? Younger families can begin with a simple list of contests, service, and deadlines. Add the financial gap when there is a real cost estimate to work from.
Open the right door.
Start with one resource that fits your student. Requirements, deadlines, availability, and costs can change, so check the official page.
Find scholarships & programs
Build the résumé & pursue recognition
Start a simple document and add the student’s goal, service, leadership, experience, skills, and awards. Save supporting details in a brag file.
Find your people
Ask teachers, mentors, career professionals, family, and scholarship winners to support your student. Students who are minors should plan outreach with a parent or trusted adult.
Search from who your student is. Combine a location, interest, activity, or career goal with “scholarships” in a search engine. AI can help suggest search terms; always verify opportunities and deadlines with the provider. Watch the search lesson ↗
Privacy matters: Share student information thoughtfully. Ask each organization how to submit required documents securely; follow its instructions rather than altering required information without asking.