STUDENT AID FUND HELPS MHS STUDENTS AFFORD COLLEGE

For high school seniors, the start of spring means the arrival of college acceptance letters, but for many students it also signifies the arrival of their financial aid packages. According to Marcia Burkett, Financial Aid Advisor at Mamaroneck High School, “For these students, it’s often not choosing which college they would like to attend, but which one provides the best financial aid.”

As anyone who has sent a child to college in the past few years knows, tuition costs have risen dramatically. However, Ms. Burkett adds, “There has not been a commensurate increase in sources or amounts of aid. I will sit with students and their families and help them understand and analyze the various aid packages they receive. While many colleges try to do their best to help families finance their students’ educations, unfortunately they do not offer the funds to cover their full needs. I help look for other resources to fill the gap. The Mamaroneck-Larchmont Student Aid Fund is the single largest resource I have for families.”

The Mamaroneck-Larchmont Student Aid Fund (SAF) was founded in 1937 by the Mamaroneck-Larchmont Parent-Teacher Council to help local students afford college. According to SAF president, Amy Guenzl, “Many people think SAF is a Mamaroneck High School scholarship, but we are a separate organization. We rely on contributions from community members to provide need-based scholarships to seniors at Mamaroneck High School. We award scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $4,600 per year for two years. Last year, more than 10 percent of the MHS class of 2015 received an SAF scholarship.”

“I have seen an increase in the number and type of students that need the funds the SAF provides,” says Ms. Burkett, who has been the Financial Aid Advisor at MHS for the past 10 years. “Students range from the first in their families to attend college to students raised by a single parent, families who have multiple children in college at the same time, and families dealing with illness or have a parent whose job status has changed. Students interested in scholarships should come speak with me. They can also find information on the Student Aid Fund website, www.MLSAF.org.”

Ms. Guenzl adds, “In the next few weeks, the SAF board will be reviewing scholarship applications and meeting with applicants. The number and dollar amount of scholarships we can provide is based solely on how much money we have raised by April 30th. Currently, we are about $50,000 short of what we had last year. In order to provide the MHS class of 2016 with the same level of aid we provided to last year’s class, we need the community’s support. We urge those interested in donating to visit our website, www.MLSAF.org. “