Think You Can't Afford College? Don't Tell Farmington High Grad

Aubrey Perry compiled an impressive resume during her years at Farmington Hills High School.

But she knew that to get into the school of her dreams, she’d have to do more than tally the hours she devoted to the varsity Pom squad, the National Honor Society and The Link Crew, a nationwide leadership program that links older students with younger ones to help them assimilate.

So she started applying for scholarships with an almost singular dedication, The Observer & Eccentric reports.

“When I found out that getting accepted into college was very competitive – and so expensive, I made up my mind to do whatever it took to get where I wanted to go,” Perry told the newspaper. “My parents told me that if I wanted to go away to school, I had to find my own scholarships because they didn’t have money for a college career like Michigan State.”

Her parents, both entrepreneurs, were hit hard by the sour economy and filed for bankruptcy. It was a “sobering and emotional conversation” when she learned there was no money for college tuition.

Her dedication to finding scholarships paid off – she applied for more than 100 – and she received about $17,000 in 14 grants. The smallest was for $75, the largest for $5,000.

She said other students who are similarly situated should take a page from her book and focus not just on the big $25,000 scholarships, which she said “are really hard to get because they’re the ones everyone hears about.”

“..I researched and applied to any and every scholarship I qualified for no matter how small — because it adds up,” she said.

Perry is now a freshman at Michigan State University and dreams of getting into the Eli Broad School of Business, where she wants to study marketing.

» Read more about Perry’s journey on her blog.