Aspire College Admissions Planning & Prep

10/20/2024

Congrats to the multiple Aspire students who’ve been named Lilly Scholarship finalists this year!

Ten high school seniors have been selected as finalists for the 2025 Monroe County Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program.

09/17/2024

Proud to see the names of several of my students on this list! These students not only excel in the classroom, but show good citizenship and compassion towards their communities.

08/25/2024

02/22/2024

* Important Testing Update *
Most colleges have been test-optional (meaning no SAT or ACT score required for application) since the pandemic. And most colleges, including IU, will remain test-optional for the foreseeable future. HOWEVER, it is important to know there are a small number of colleges that DO require test scores. Some of them are very selective, including Yale, MIT, Georgetown, Dartmouth, and Georgia Tech. Other schools that require tests include ones that you may be considering: Purdue, major US service academies (West Point, Air Force, Navy, USMMA), Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, and all public colleges & universities in the state of Florida. Requirements may change further before the current high school junior class applies, as several colleges have recently announced return to testing. Contact me to discuss how these testing requirements might affect your student!

02/14/2024

This is my second post this month because my students keep earning accolades that I must share! In the most recent development, the team from Bloomington HS South, whose members include Aspire students Grace Choi and Natali Sarraf, has been named the Indiana state champion in the 2024 Samsung Solve for Tomorrow STEM competition for developing the “Night Shade” to reduce light pollution of night skies. They now go on to the national competition with the potential to earn significant monetary prizes. Last year’s team from Bloomington South, which included Aspire students Ethan Kiang and Hazel Stringer, won $100,000 for their school!

A team from Bloomington South is advancing in a STEM competition. Last year, South students won $100,000 for their school.

02/06/2024

I was so thrilled to open the local Herald-Times this morning and see 3 of my students on the front page! Their new student-run organization Global Learners promotes education about current events, especially to younger members of our community.

The students hope to start chapters at other schools around the U.S. and develop lesson plans with teacher input.

09/27/2023

It’s been so long since I’ve posted about my students here, so I thought I’d start again with this great news — Ivy worked hard this summer and submitted all her applications a few weeks ago. She has been rewarded with her first acceptance to the University of Alabama! Roll tide!

07/15/2023

The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship program provides scholarships for full tuition, required fees, and a special allocation of up to $900 per year for required books and equipment for four years of undergraduate study at any Indiana accredited public or private college.

05/12/2023

Best wishes to the South students heading to DC for this STEM competition!

In the "Solve for Tomorrow" competition, hosted by Samsung, students compete for thousands of dollars in prizes.

04/20/2023

WE NEED YOUR VOTE! Bloomington HS South scientists are competing in Samsung's Solve for Tomorrow. Check out their heat reflective paint & vote for them below. In fact, vote every day for the next 30 days. Watch for their heat reflective mural that will actually make us cooler!

Samsung's annual competition for public schools grades 6 - 12 encourages students to share their STEM project ideas for a chance to win prize money and mentorship.

02/28/2023

Congratulations, Ethan!!! It’s been my pleasure and honor to know such a passionate, hard-working, dedicated, and absolutely intelligent young man!

02/18/2023

The first of hopefully many happy posts this season! Congrats to Aspire student Brooke on her acceptance to the University of Michigan!