By Emily Barker
January 2015
It’s never too early to start thinking about college. Thinking about college comes with many questions, however the biggest question that crosses everyone’s mind is how am I going to pay for college?
I am now just starting my second semester as a freshman at William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri. I had known since I was a sophomore in high school that William Woods was my dream college, however being a private university and the fact that I am a resident of California and not a resident of the state of Missouri means that I would have the extra cost of paying out of state tuition. I started doing research about scholarships and found several scholarship opportunities through the Arabian Horse Association (AHA) and the Arabian Horse Foundation! The Arabian Horse Foundation has a general scholarship application form that is due April 1st every year. These organizations have both regional and national scholarships to offer to their youth. I found that I could obtain a scholarship through my region and even some of my region’s clubs. I also discovered that I could win scholarships through AHA’s regional and national level judging competitions. I joined my region’s youth judging team and competed at the national and regional level and earned over $4,000 in scholarships!
AHA also offers a very prestigious scholarship called Youth of the Year. Youth of the Year recognizes a very special individual who has gone above and beyond to help the Arabian Horse Association. The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) also offers several different scholarships. USEF has their own version of the Youth of the Year award called the USEF Junior Equestrian of the Year. USEF also offers a Sportsmanship scholarship and a very unique scholarship for those individuals planning to pursue an equestrian degree in college. Scholarships can also be obtained by going to many different websites and researching what scholarships best suit your needs. Colleges often offer their own unique scholarships that you may be applicable for. William Woods offers a $5,000.00 a year scholarship program called LEAD. Over the course of four years it is a $20,000.00 savings off my tuition bill. If you want more info on that please go to their website for more info or send me an email. First start by asking your region and region’s clubs to see if they offer scholarships and if you meet the requirements, however if you are stuck and are unsure of where to start looking for scholarships whether it’s through AHA, USEF, scholarship websites, or through your desired college, please feel free to contact me and I will assist you to the best of my abilities. I will be more than willing to help you find scholarships that will best fit your needs! About the Author Emily Barker is the current AHYA Vice President
