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Finding the Finances
Connections101 co-founder Jean O ’ Toole helps students win scholarships WRITTEN BY SARAH SLAVIN AND CINDY SCHWEICH HANDLER
Jean O ’ Toole relates easily
to the financial concerns of families with kids seeking higher education . The first in her family togocollege , O ’ Toole , who is originally from western Massachusetts , received many generous scholarships , but still couldn ’ t cover her expenses and had to take out student loans .
Her post-graduation work at Monster . com subsidiary Making it Count , where she spoke to high school and university students nationwide about academic strategies , taught her that education costs were increasingly stressing families out .
“ I started opening my eyes to opportunities Iwish Ihad known about ,” she says .
O ’ Toole started workshopping a classroom presentation in New Jersey high schools that evolved into a school assembly program . Through assemblies , scholarship clubs , library visits and seminars , Connections101 , the company she co-founded in2008 , has instructed thousands of students and parents in the tri-state area tofind and win private scholarships — ones given by corporations , foundations , individuals and other organizations .
O ’ Toole , who lives inOak Ridge , has held virtual seminars for students inMillburn and Roseland . The pandemic , she says , has only added to families ’ money concerns . Since its arrival , Connections101 has been working with students online .
We asked O ’ Toole for insights into winning scholarships for higher learning .
CAST A WIDE NET AND THINK CREATIVELY
Families often assume that scholarships are only for students with top grades , major athletic accomplishments and / or deep financial needs , she says , but they ’ re wrong .“ There are a lot of private scholarships where the only criterion is you ’ re a student who ’ s on track to graduate ,” says O ’ Toole .
Because scholarships are intended for educational purposes , younger students may also apply for them , and they are awarded in two ways , she says . For scholarships of less than $ 1,000 , a check is sent to the family ; parents may want to invest the money in an educational summer program for the child , or invest it for future education . Larger awards , such as the $ 1,000 Angela Award for female students in grades 5-8 who have an interest in science , may come in the form of abond students can use when they turn 18 .
O ’ Toole has plenty of examples of gifts aimed at younger recipients . “ Google has a scholarship open to kids in K-12 , with several categories so the little kids aren ’ t competing against the older ones ,” she says . The Zombie Apocalypse Scholarship , which isfor kids 13 and older , has a deadline of Halloween and asks students to write a short essay about what they would do in the case of a zombie takeover .
Students have a higher statistical chance of scoring local scholarships because there are fewer students competing for them , she says .
COURTESY OF CONNECTIONS 101
6 HOLIDAY 2020 MILLBURN & SHORT HILLS MAGAZINE