FAFSA Workshops put DPS students on the path to college
 Denver South High School senior Mawukle Yebuah completed his Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as the FAFSA, at a recent DSF workshop. DSF is hosting a series of more than 36 workshops throughout Denver to help seniors and recent graduates complete the FAFSA, which is required to receive any type of federal grants and loans for college.
FAFSA completion is also a critical indicator of a student's likelihood of going to college. Recent research conducted by Chicago Public Schools and H&R Block shows that students who complete the FAFSA are twice as likely to enroll in college than students who do not.
Mawukle is a varsity soccer play at South and also serves in a leadership capacity at the school as Head Boy. He is hoping to attend either Howard University or the University of Denver next fall. A frequent visitor to our Future Center at South High School, he has spent countless hours researching and applying for financial aid and scholarships, according to DSF College & Financial Aid Advisor Meredith Barrow.
“Mawukle is a really good student with a bright future ahead of him,” Barrow said. “His family doesn’t have the resources to cover the costs of his college education, but through his hard work and the help he has received at our Future Center, I know he’ll accomplish his dreams of going to college."
Snapshot of a DSF Scholar
DSF launched its scholarship application last month with plans to award more than $5 million in scholarships during the 2012-13 academic year.
The scholarship is available to low and middle-income DPS graduates who complete high school with at least a 2.0 grade point average. Scholarship recipients must have attended a DPS high school for four years, and they need to be eligible to receive federal financial aid.
Each year about 78 percent of DSF Scholars are first-generation college students. Read more about our scholars.
University of Denver increases its commitment to DSF Scholars
The University of Denver recently announced its commitment to provide an additional $500,000 in financial support to DSF Scholars. The new DU Pathways Scholarship is an annual, renewable scholarship designed to make attending the University of Denver more affordable for DSF Scholars.
Currently home to more than 90 DSF Scholars, the University of Denver hopes to recruit even more scholars next year.
“We are very grateful to the University of Denver for the tremendous investment it is making in our scholars,” said Cindy Abramson, DSF executive director. “DU believes so strongly in our scholars that they are essentially matching our donors’ gifts for students who are admitted to DU.”
The new DU Pathways Scholarship will be awarded exclusively to DSF Scholars in addition to other merit and financial aid awards that are available to all DU students.
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'Education means freedom'
Carmen, a retired DPS middle school teacher, and her husband have chosen to include DSF in their estate plans because they believe so strongly in the power of education.
“We are leaving Denver Scholarship Foundation in our estate plans because we think that education means freedom,” Carmen said. “The only thing that no one can take from you is your education. When I came to this country I had nothing, and education gave me everything. We are very grateful for that, and this is our way of giving back.”
Would you like to leave a legacy that will change a young person’s life forever? Contact us about including DSF in your estate plans.
Sponsor a student
You can create a better future for a DPS student by sponsoring their journey through college. A $2,500 or $5,000 gift will sponsor a student for a full year at a community college or four-year institution. Join us for breakfast on May 24 to learn more about DSF and find out how you can change the life of a young person. RSVP to events@denverscholarship.org.
Visit a DSF Future Center
Are you interested in learning more about the Denver Scholarship Foundation? Join us for bagels and coffee at one of our Future Centers. Click here for more information.
Visit the Denver Scholarship Foundation on GivingFirst.org. Learn about our programs, how we are creating a stronger community, and donate online directly to us. When you donate through GivingFirst.org, 100 percent of your donation comes to DSF.
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