In a move to expand scholarship access for students, Excelsior Springs High School announced a new partnership with VU Scholarships, a Kansas City-based organization, on October 11. The collaboration aims to present more extensive scholarship opportunities to deserving students, utilizing a unique model aimed at rewarding academic accomplishments.
During the First Quarter Assembly on October 23, juniors and seniors received letters directing them to the VU Scholarships website, a gateway to explore various potential scholarships. The assembly wasn’t all business, though. Fun highlights included a staff versus students volleyball match and a school-wide Paper, Rock, Scissors tournament, crowning sophomore Gabby Scrivener as the champion.
High School Principal Sara Wickham expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, explaining the program’s mechanics. “This program matches academic accomplishments with corresponding scholarship offers from trade schools, colleges, and universities that have partnered with VU Scholarships,” Wickham stated. She emphasized that while the program reveals opportunities, applications to specific institutions remain the students’ preference.
Following up, the school hosted a College and Career Fair on October 24, encouraging students to use the scholarship information they received to help them when deciding which representatives to visit. Wickham said the offers presented by VU Scholarships could also inform students’ broader college search process by revealing schools they may not have considered otherwise.
Behind VU Scholarships is an innovative concept by Edward Marquez, formulated in 2015. Marquez introduced his model in the Kansas City, Kansas Public School District, leading to its substantial local adoption. The model gained traction when the Shawnee Mission School District, recognizing its transformative impact, employed Marquez to institute his model district-wide. The result was a staggering increase in scholarship offers for students, with figures rising to over $1.77 billion.
Inspired by its success, investors Andrew Marquez and Dan Poblete founded VU Scholarships in 2021, scaling Edward’s original vision. This year alone, Excelsior Springs High students have been offered scholarships totaling $253,430,646 through the program.
The partnership underscores a growing trend, acknowledging academic achievements with opportunities traditionally reserved for athletic prowess, potentially reshaping the scholarship landscape for students everywhere.
Students and their families had the opportunity to visit with representatives from area trade schools, military, colleges, and universities at the College and Career Fair Oct. 24, 2023.
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