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Virginia C apitol C onnections, Fall 2014 21
“I’m so proud of her,” Lemons said. “She set her goals and is
meeting them. She also speaks for GRASP, which is also very
gratifying.”
Lemons also facilitates the SOAR program in the school, which
is a mentoring and savings program sponsored by the Virginia 529
Savings Plan.
The price of attending college is
continuously increasing, but so is the value
of obtaining a higher education diploma,
Carol Lemons said.
Lemons works as an advisor for the
Great Aspirations Program at Nelson
County High School, which helps students
with the oftentimes tricky process of
receiving financial aid.
GRASP has been in the Nelson County
school system for three years, and Lemons
said she works with about 60 students each year who choose to make
an appointment to see her.
Some students come once for information, others work with her
for the rest year.
“I help students determine which schools will provide them with
the best financial aid package by pointing them to tools such as the
net price calculator on college websites that helps them calculate the
total cost of attendance, and websites which help them estimate how
much financial aid they could receive,” Lemons said.
In the beginning of each school year, Lemons visits the senior
English and government classes to give a 10-minute overview of the
financial aid process for attending college. She then tells students
they can make an appointment with her in the guidance office of the
school to discuss their plans further.
Lemons talks with students about deadlines for paperwork and
filing out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.
In January, February and March, she helps students and parents
file FAFSA applications and find scholarships. The FAFSA form
must be filled out before colleges give out awards.
“I think one of the big mistakes families make is deciding not to
file a FAFSA assuming they will not be eligible for funds,” she said.
“However, there are many different kinds of financial aid, including
grants and scholarships, given by colleges.”
Some students don’t plan to attend college and are satisfied to
begin working right after high school, Lemons said. However, she
likes to point out to those students that there still are advantages of a
college education.
“Sometimes we also discuss community college and vocational
schools as ways of better preparing them for their futures,” she said.
“I want them to consider all the options and not rule out college just
because of the cost.”
Lemons said statistics show that college graduates still make
more money over a lifetime than those who do not attend college.
“There is something to be said, too, for the subtle things you
learn in college such as critical thinking, living on your own, life
experience and a broader education,” she said. “However, the cost of
college is rising sharply. That is one reason why community college
is such an attractive option.”
Many students decide to attend two years of community college,
then transfer to a four-year, in-state college if they have completed all
required classes with a satisfactory grade point average. Lemons said
the cost of community college is about one-third of what a Virginia
four-year college would cost.
“The financial-aid picture is changing also,” she said. “I don’t
like to see students and parents over-burdened with college debt. I
have become a true believer in the community college option and the
transfer program.”
Lemons recalled one student she helped a few years ago who
did not want to overload her parents with debt and decided to attend
Piedmont Virginia Community College. She recently transferred to
the University of Virginia.
Program helps students find
scholarships for college
By Rachael Smith
We fuel progress around the world.
RunningRIGHT
means doing the right things for safety—every day.
LEMONS
See Scholarships for College, continued on page 24