It’s no lie that scholarships are a good source of aid for students looking to pay for college. MVHS does its part to provide these opportunities for seniors and to help them on their journey. The scholarships that are offered vary, depending on student interests such as agriculture, music, or teaching, for instance. It seems simple enough, filling in the application form and completing the prompts that come along with it, but it’s more than that. It’s important to put some time and effort into anything that’s sent in to ensure the best possible results.

One of the most important things to remember is to write a good essay. According to a trusted school official, “They want for you to include in the essay your plans, where you want to go to college, add something personal to you, maybe about who influenced you in that direction or what caused you to be interested in that field of study, and what job you want to have after you graduate.” It’s important to put some thought into what you plan to send in. The committees that put out the scholarships are looking for well-rounded applicants who have an idea of where they’re going in life. “They don’t want to give money to somebody who doesn’t have plans.”

Another thing students need to remember is to plan ahead when asking around for their recommendation letters. It’s always better to plan ahead when asking a teacher or a community member. This allows those who have agreed to write the letters plenty of time to put together a letter of recommendation that will help the student. For a reference, choose someone who knows you well and will be willing to write a personal letter that showcases your skills and your character.

Something to take note of is the fact that there are scholarships available online. When applying for these, however, it’s a good idea to look into and verify that the sites accessed are valid websites. If unsure, students can always err on the side of caution by checking in with the counselors office.

Our trusted school official also cautioned, “If it costs you to get it, or for the notoriety, or for the honor, then it’s a moneymaker for that group.”

It’s in a student's best interest to use the scholarships that are free for them to fill out and use. When you pay to enter into one, there’s a good chance that you will be losing more money than you will be making in the process. Just because you fill one out doesn’t mean that you will get that scholarship. Always remember to do what’s best for you.

First, let's talk about how Covid-19 has affected inflation rates because it is a BIG reason we are where we are. During the pandemic, a lot fewer people had jobs due to everything that wasn’t an essential business being shut down. Although there aren't as many places shut down anymore, there are 2.3 million fewer people working than there were pre-pandemic. The fewer workers we have, the lower supply gets. The problem is many things were in high demand at the time. High demand and low supply is the basic explanation for any type of inflation.

With the Covid crisis came the stimulus check, which would also present us with problems. For some, the stimulus check was much needed and helped feed their families, but most of the country just spent it on goodies, which only further skyrocketed inflation by creating yet another supply and demand issue. Big corporations fixed this by just upping their prices on almost everything. They could do this because they were presented with less competition due to the pandemic and its repercussions. With fewer workers and raw materials becoming more expensive, big companies simply inflated their prices and are bringing in bigger profits than ever, while smaller companies struggle to stay afloat. About two-thirds of the largest publicly traded companies reported much more profit in 2021 than in 2020 and are expected to bring even more in this year.

Russia is also a huge issue. Not just for Ukraine, but also for the economy. Russia brings in about 8 percent of our country's gas and oil supply. Once we cut them off in an attempt to damage their economy, we also took a hit. On Feb. 24 Russia officially invaded Ukraine. The national gas average at the time was $3.54 per gallon. Now it’s about $4.32 a gallon, which is a huge jump that’s affecting Americans financially. Gas is so high currently that many people are considering driving only when absolutely necessary, and others are considering not driving at all anymore.

All things considered, inflation is a big problem, but it would be misguided to pin these problems on a single individual or even a group. There are a lot of factors that go into it and the problems are coming from all angles. On the bright side, it can’t become too much worse and many experts expect things to have calmed down drastically by 2023. In short, things may be bad now but they won’t always be.