Career and College Support

Career Days:

These days are a great way to learn about an industry or career by spending a morning at a business working alongside experts. More career days will be added. Spots do fill up, register soon.

• Learn more about Semi-Conductor Pathways from iUrban University.
• Entrepreneurship Career Day (Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026): Get inspired by real entrepreneurs, form a team, and create your own business idea from scratch. Lunch provided. 
• Oregon Humane Society Career Day (Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026): You will connect with professionals, tour the shelter, meet animals, get your questions answered, discover new career ideas, and hear from caring adults working in the medical, animal care and adoption fields. 

College Visit: Please come to the Hawk Center, feel free to bring your lunch.

• February 05, 11:30 am - Oregon Institute of Technology
• February 12, 11:35 am - University of Arizona

Support for all things college related is available during school hours at the Career Center.

- January 16 - 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Portland Community College Application and Foundation Scholarship support.

- February 11, 11:30 pm - 12:30 pm - Portland State University Instant Viking event. Send an email with subject “PSU Viking” by end of January, to be considered for PSU, no admission fee and you will know your admission status when you attend.

- FAFSA & ORSAA Drop-In Help Session (via Zoom) – students and/or parents can drop in and ask a question!

• January 15th, 4-5
• January 28th, 5-6
• February 12th, 4-5

- Seniors should have FAFSA completed for themselves and/or a parent to be considered for many scholarships and aid. Please reach out to me if you are in a special circumstance or need additional support.  Note: Some students are running into ID Theft issues when they create their FSA ID, we can help if you need support resolving this situation.

- Taking a Gap Year

- Please stop by for planning after the Gap Year!

- Most Colleges will hold your admission to support your Gap Year

- You have help now for planning and application that you will not have after graduating from High School

- Help is also available for options to explore during Gap Year.

- Common App - The CA is open! For students applying to more than 1-2 universities or colleges, it might make best sense to use the Common App which allows you to fill out one application but apply to many schools. Stop by for any help.
** Common App Support** - Within the link, search Contents on the left for help on each section. Helpful to have this site and your application open at the same time. 

-  Common App should be connected to Xello to enable recommendation letters, transcripts and other school information that the colleges need. Go to Xello - Plans - College Applications  - to start this process. Stop by if you need any help with Xello.

- Heading into an Apprenticeship program - many have long wait times, stop by to start strategizing the process early.

- Taking a Gap Year

- Please stop by for planning after the Gap Year!

- Most Colleges will hold your admission to support your Gap Year

- You have help now for planning and application that you will not have after graduating from High School

- Help is also available for options for Gap Year.

- Oregon Bottle Drop for your 529 Oregon College Savings Plan

ACT Upcoming Test Dates (For most students, testing is not necessary.)
Test Date 4/11 (registration deadline 3/11)

SAT Upcoming Test Dates (For most students, testing is not necessary.)
Test date 03/14 (registration deadline 02/27)

- Juniors should have FSA ID for themselves and a parent/guardian. Make sure you use full school name "Adrienne C. Nelson High School" with CEEB code 380062. Please reach out to me if you are in a special circumstance or need additional support. 

Note: Some students are running into ID Theft issues when they create their FSA ID, we can help if you need support resolving this situation.

- When and How to save for College:

• GPA - Many Colleges have scholarships based on GPA 3.4+
• AP / Dual Credit classes often save time and money in College.
• Grants / Scholarships - many are available for all high school students. Please start early. 
• Need based free tuition is available for income levels to $200,000, depending on the College cost.
• Some out of state college options could cost less than in-state college options.

- Juniors - This is a great time to start thinking of Career/College/Trades after high school. Please stop by for any help or just a conversation.

- Sophomores & Freshman - We can help you make the most out of high school class offerings. This is a great time to start looking at forecasting for next year. 

- Parents check out the ‘Recommended Reading section’ at the bottom for interesting higher education reading.

- Heading into an Apprenticeship program - many have long wait times, stop by to start strategizing the process early. Oregon Apprenticeship - begin exploring the many options for working in the trades. 

Do not apply for any scholarship that requests any payment, personal information like bank information or Social Security number, or guarantees any award. 

When in doubt, contact your Counselor or Aspire Mentor.

• Check Xello for local scholarships.
• February 2 - Al Forthan Scholarship Up to $10,000 for high school seniors in Oregon who have been impacted by addiction and poverty.
• February 9 - Davidson Fellows Up to $50,000 scholarships for extraordinary young people (18 and under) who have completed a significant piece of work—original, expert-level, and impactful, comparable to college graduate standards.
• February 9 - Oregon ACTE Scholarship $1000 scholarships for students enrolled, or planning to enroll in a CTE program. 
• February 15 - Horatio Alger Undergraduate Scholarship  $10,000 - $25,000 scholarships for high school juniors and seniors, and college students, planning to pursue a bachelor's degree, who have exhibited integrity and perseverance in overcoming personal adversity.
• February 15 - Dell Scholars Program Up to $20,000 for students in college readiness programs (including AVID, College Possible, GEAR UP, and Upward Bound) who are Pell Grant eligible, have at least a 2.4 GPA, and have overcome significant obstacles to pursue their education.
• February 28 - Gaitlins Corner scholarship ($1500-$5000) Need based for children of enlisted Marines or Navy Corpsmen. Available to Tradeschool, Community College, Bachelors programs, can apply every year while enrolled.
• Oregon Promise - Apply for Community College or Dual Enrollment tuition grant .
• OSAC Scholarships - apply to 125+ scholarships with one application. Last year 4 ANHS students were awarded a total of $14,100! Cheat Sheet for quick view. Make sure 'Test Application' check box is unchecked.

  Complete your application by February 17 to enter in a $1000 raffle drawing. Scholarships 101 (via Zoom) - a presentation where students can learn about OSAC scholarships and how to create a competitive application.

• February 17th, 3-4
• February 25th, 4-5
• Federal Grants are available.
• Ford Family Foundation - for significant need, almost full ride scholarship for Oregon residents.
• Oregon Grants, There are several really great grants including for barbers and hair dressers.
• Chaffee Grant - for students who've been in the foster care system, need based
• Oregon Tribal Student Grant - full ride, last dollar check details

Many scholarships including Full Ride Scholarships are available after submitting your application to a college. Often the deadlines for the high value scholarships are within days of early application deadline.

Do not apply for any scholarship that requests any payment, personal information like bank information or Social Security number, or guarantees any award. 

When in doubt, contact your Counselor or Aspire Mentor.

• Check Xello for local scholarships.

• January 31 - National Eagle Scout Association Scholarship: $6,000 - $50,000 scholarships open to high school seniors through college juniors who are Eagle Scouts. 

• March 1 - Distinguished Young Women of Oregon - For Girls currently Juniors.

• JLV Counseling Scholarship Search - provides thousands of scholarships listed by deadline or categories (including for all grades). Subscribe to get weekly email updates and are not required to enter any personal information.
• Big Future – College Board Scholarship Search: Find matches from more than 6,000 programs totaling over $4 billion scholarship dollars yearly.
• Other worthy scholarship search sites:
  • Scholarships.com - including scholarships for all grades
  • Oregon Goes to College
  • Fastweb
  • Going Merry
  • Cappex
  • Bold.org
  • Unigo

• Stop by the Hawk Career Center for help about Careers and Colleges including applications, trades and apprenticeships, financial aid, career paths, etc.
• Help with understanding Apprenticeships - many have long wait times, stop by to start strategizing the process early.
• 1:1 support is available to you in:

- Figuring out your Major

- College or Trades route

- Finding Financial Aid or Scholarships

- Filling Applications, FAFSA, Essays, SAT or No SAT

- Stop by for just a chat!

- Parents or Guardians are welcome to make appointments as well

• Reliable College Information - US Department of Education. You can search by school or field of study in the top bar.
• Sabin Schellenberg - great way to explore 17 Career fields for free, many students leave with valuable certificates. 
• Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) - students are offered greatly discounted tuition to over 160 universities in 15 nearby states. Check qualifying degrees and deadlines. 
• Health Care Pathways -  see menu on left for length of study. (Check Community Colleges also)
• Careers in Nursing, Education expected, and Salaries.
• Niche - free login to get suggestions for colleges that meet your needs.
• Transfer Credits - to see how your credits will transfer to colleges.
• Aspire - great resources for career exploration and college search.
• Oregon Occupations in Demand 2025
• Oregon Careers Magazine - Jump to page 42. (Spanish Version)
• Oregon Career Explorer - Oregon salaries, job openings, and future growth. 
• Occupational Outlook - national current salaries, job openings, and future growth

• Application Deadlines
  • EA or Early Action - non binding, typically apply early (Oct./Nov.) to multiple colleges and receive admission decision in Dec. - Jan. Recommended option for most students. 
  • ED or Early Decision - binding agreement if accepted. You can only apply to one college. Most students are at a financial disadvantage in this route.
  • RD or Regular Decision - apply based on regular application deadlines and receive decisions by April 1.
• Common App - for applying to many Colleges (Bachelors Programs) with one application.
• Common App Line by Line Help - search Contents on the left for help on each section. Helpful to have this site and your application open at the same time. 
• College Essay Workshop - an NCSD workshop and accompanying guide. 
• How to Write a College Essay - Oregon Goes to College page.
• If you are considering a Gap Year, it is best to apply to college and then delay the starting date.

• Dual Credit and AP Courses - great way to save college money by earning college credits for free while in high school. These transfer credits could help you graduate a semester early.
• Sabin Schellenberg - great way to explore 17 Career fields for free, many students leave with valuable certificates. 
• Estimate your cost for College.

• Portland Community College:
  • Transfer Majors - majors including in Engineering,  Biology and Health Sciences areas.
  • HealthCare - degrees and certificates, 6 mos to 2 years
• Clackamas Community College:
  • Transfer Majors - majors for Liberal Arts, Business, Computer Science, Engineering and Horticulture.
  • Healthcare - degrees and certificates, 6 mos to 2 years
• Mount Hood Community College:
  • Transfer Programs - Everything you are looking for will likely be here.
  • Healthcare - navigate to Healthcare, Medical, Fitness
• Dual Enrollment or Co-Admission programs. - Public universities in Oregon have partnerships with community colleges where students can choose to be enrolled in both colleges. Students are required to apply to both colleges and/or complete a separate application to be dual enrolled. Search “Dual Enrollment” on the website of the university/college you would like to attend for specifics about each school’s process.
  • Oregon State University/Linn-Benton CC option 
  • University of Oregon/Lane County CC option
• Community Colleges have great options for Apprenticeship Programs.

Apprenticeship Overview - short video by Oregon Employment Department.

Pre-Apprenticeship programs - accessing programs with little or no experience. 

Union Apprenticeships - for details on all the union apprenticeship programs.

Registered Apprenticeship Programs - details available at this link.

Apprenticeship USA - programs in Oregon

Aspire resources - information on apprenticeship programs

Community colleges offer great options for apprenticeship programs and certificates.

• Clackamas Community College
• Portland Community College
• Mount Hood Community College

Speciality trades - many careers including barber schools...

Great books to help you understand the background about Colleges. These are all available in the school library for students to check out.

• Colleges that Change Lives - Loren Pope 
• Paying for College - Princeton Review  
• Who gets in and Why - Jeffery Sellingo 
• The Price You Pay for College - Rob Lieber 
• Getting from College to Career - Lindsey Pollak

Aspire often gets confused with AVID. Aspire is not a class.

Aspire is part of the Career Center support at ANHS. I meet with students/parents/guardians 1:1 to provide support for all things career/college related. 

Career Center provides help with:

• Selecting a Major 
• Technical School, Community College, 4 Yr. College 
• College list or details on a specific college
• Applications 
• FAFSA/ORSAA, Financial Aid, Scholarships
• Comparing Admissions
• Forecasting Classes in high school to support or explore Career Goals 
• Using Naviance 

There are additional subject matter experts who mentor from the community as well.

Aspire Program Opt-Out