Seniors who are members of the Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) that also attended Pearson Ranch or Deerpark Middle School for all three years have the opportunity to win a scholarship offered by their middle school PTSA.
Pearson Ranch will award two $650 scholarships with a submission deadline of April 30 and Deerpark will award two $1000 scholarships with a deadline of April 18.
“I’m planning on majoring in neuroscience, I could use a scholarship to help fund that,” senior Rashmi Veer said. “I feel like it’s a good opportunity because there’s not as much competition because it’s just one school.”
Both applications have an essay requirement with a 500 word limit asking students how their middle schools’ values influenced them in high school, something that some students found challenging.
“Essay requirements, they’re kind of difficult sometimes, because if you want the scholarship, it’s hard to know what to write about,” Veer said. “[But] if I decide to apply for other things, like internships, then that money could also help with stuff like that.”
Despite difficulties, the essay-writing process gave some applicants the chance to reflect on positive experiences from their middle school years.
“The art room, I think that’s where I spent most of my time,” senior Bo Manhein said. “It’s where I made most of the friends I have now, but I didn’t really leave that room while I was there.”
In addition to the essay, which some students like Manhein have already begun writing, both scholarships require information about an applicant’s grades and GPA.
“I started an introduction talking about how [Deerpark] shaped how I act in high school,” Manhein said. “I want the scholarship to help pay for tuition fees, because they do get pretty crazy, especially [for] out of state.”
For many, the scholarships offer seniors a welcome way to remember the value of their time in middle school, especially as graduation nears.
“[Deerpark] had a TikTok dance battle during second lunch, and that was fun,” senior Samuel Gander said. “[To win] would mean a lot because I loved my time there.”
