The class of 2023 at Sisters High School is sitting on a gold mine of local scholarship opportunities, with over $300,000 of aid available to help fund post-high school education and training through Sisters Graduate Resource Organization (Sisters GRO).

Applications opened Monday, January 23, and will close on February 28, according to Laura Kloss, program director for GRO. All seniors and their families received emails last week outlining the scholarship program and application process.

According to Kloss, students considering any form of continuing education after high school are eligible to apply. Kloss underlines the importance of seniors understanding there truly is something for everyone planning to further their education.

“The variety of awards provides plenty of opportunity for students to receive financial assistance no matter what type of institution or program they are considering,” she said.

“For example, 45 of the scholarships are available to students seeking any type of education, including trade, technical, or vocational programs, or two- or four-year colleges or universities,” she said. “In addition, eight scholarships are specific to students seeking four-year degrees, 10 to students seeking two- or four-year programs, one is specific to two-year college only, and seven of the scholarships are restricted to students pursuing trade, technical, or vocational programs.”

For those worried about grade point average, the requirement range among the 71 scholarships is from 2.0 to 3.75.

Last year, every single student who completed the application process received some aid from GRO, according to high school counselor Rick Kroytz.

“We really want seniors to understand this because some immediately believe they have no chance of being awarded anything,” he said.

In-person help will be provided at the annual Scholarship Application Pizza Night on Tuesday, February 7, at 6 p.m. at Sisters High School.

In addition, the school counselors, ASPIRE volunteers, and Kloss are all ready to guide and support the seniors through the process.

“We are grateful for the time and commitment of scholarship sponsors, scholarship review committee chairs, and volunteers who make this work possible” said Kloss. “We are also incredibly thankful for donors to the Sisters GRO General Fund, who provide the opportunity for us to award at least one scholarship to each student who puts effort into completing an application. Our goal is to increase equitability for every Sisters High School student to pursue continuing education, and general donations to the organization help us to achieve that.”

Complete information for the program can be found a www.SistersGro.org.