College & Career Center News
DECEMBER 3 - 11
FAFSA UPDATE
FSA announced the Free Application for Federal Student Aid will open on December 31, 2023. NOVA hosts wonderful walk-through sessions to help families with the process. All seniors
considering college (2 or 4 years) should complete the FAFSA.
Thursday, January 18, 2024 | Heritage High School - LIBRARY
Please register in SCHOOLINKS.
Parents and students can set up their FSA ID (electronic signature) ahead of time by starting the account HERE
What will I need to fill out the FAFSA?
To complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®), you will need:
Your Social Security Number
Your Alien Registration Number (if you are not a U.S. citizen)
Your federal income tax returns, W-2s, and other records of money earned. (Note: You may be able to transfer your federal tax return information into your FAFSA using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.)
Bank statements and records of investments (if applicable)
Records of untaxed income (if applicable)
An FSA ID to sign electronically.
If you are a dependent student, then you will also need most of the above information for your parent(s).
Northern Virginia Community College
NOVA Application Session for Seniors considering attending Northern Virginia Community College in the Fall.
Wednesday, December 13, 1:30 PM | Career Center
Bring your chrome book to work on the application process.
Note: if you’ve taken a DE class, you’re already enrolled!
SCHOLARSHIPS
Created to assist students with an eagerness to further their culinary education.
Applicant must be a high school senior, GED student, or non-traditional learning student enrolled full-time or part-time who plans to major in a Culinary Arts or Hospitality Management, or closely related field.
Applicant must be a US citizen.
Applicant must possess a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher or two (2) years of work experience in the restaurant/ hospitality industry.
Applicants must submit a short bio and professional photo (.jpeg or .png format)
A 500-word essay must be attached (.doc, docx, or .pdf format) that describes how you became interested in a Culinary Arts or Hospitality career and what you hope to bring to the industry.
2) Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship Program - Winners of the award receive $10,000 for up to 4 years at an accredited four-year college or university as well as a paid summer internship at Amazon. Applicants must be employment authorized to work in the U.S. (Employment Authorization Document holder, U.S. citizen, or permanent resident). Applicants are high school seniors who have completed or are currently enrolled in a computer science course (applicants may opt to take a brief assessment if they have not taken a formal computer science course). Applicant must be planning to attain a bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, computer engineering, or other computer science-related field of study. Applicant must have an online recommendation from a teacher who knows you well.
3) Healthcare Leaders Scholarship
The Nurse.org $1,500 Healthcare Leaders scholarship is offered to students entering, or currently pursuing, an educational program related to nursing or medicine. Applicants must be US citizens, at least 17 years of age, and have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Please make sure to log into SchooLinks to see more scholarship opportunities.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship
Each year, the MLK Diversity-Engagement Foundation awards a scholarship to deserving senior high school students. To be considered for one of the 2, $1,000 MLK Community Service scholarships, a student applicant must meet the outlined criteria.
• Seniors are eligible to graduate from high school by the end of the current academic school year (2023-2024) and are very actively serving in our community.
• Scholarship applicants must enroll in an accredited college or university for the following Fall academic year, to receive the scholarship funds at the college or university.
• Scholarship student applicants must reside in Loudoun County.
• Scholarship applicants must have and maintain a 2.5 Grade Point Average (GPA) or above.
• Scholarship applicants must send a complete application package to the Scholarship Review Committee on or before December 15, 2023.
Scholarship applicants must submit a completed MLK Community Service Scholarship Application form along with:
• Two-page essay, typed, and double-spaced describing, “MLK Theme” that speaks to a compelling desire to make our community a better place to live.
• A typed detailed description of student high school community service, and volunteer activities in our county.
• Two letters of recommendation from knowledgeable people in the student’s life.”
• A copy of the most recent 12th-grade transcript which includes the student’s cumulative high school grade point average.
JUNIORS
Winter Admission Tour at ACL
Students interested in applying to the Monroe Advanced Technology Academy (MATA) or Advanced AET for next year are invited to attend our Winter Admissions Field Trip to the Academies of Loudoun on Thursday, January 18, 2024. Students will leave from Heritage HS at 11:00 am and return at
1:00 pm. The field trip includes a tour of the Academies and an information session.
Space is limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Permission forms must be submitted to Mrs. Fekel by January 5, 2024, using the link below:
INFORMATION SESSION FOR HERITAGE HS - PRIDE TIME ON NOVEMBER 29
The 2024 Winter Admissions Cycle is for 9th, 10th, and 11th graders applying for enrollment to the Academies of Loudoun for the 2024-2025 school year. Click HERE to find the most current information.
TIMELINE - Application
Opens | November 27, 2023
ACL One-Hour Tour | January 18, 2024
Closes | February 12, 2024
Winter Admissions Testing | Saturday, February 17, 2024 (For Advanced AET applicants only)
SAT/ACT PREP
CAREER CORNER | Careers in Social Studies
I graduated from UVa in 1998 completing the 5 year Education program - a BS in Psychology and a Masters in Teaching for K-8. My mother, a 30 year teacher veteran literally took me to a career counselor to have me tested for different aptitudes so that I could find a different job. She did NOT want me to be a teacher! When I was in high school I was a summer camp counselor as well as a math tutor during the school year. I instantly felt like I had found my "thing" that I was good at and I really loved helping kids to learn.
The spring of my final year, I saw an advertisement to teach in Italy. My friend and I went to the meeting and we were hired to teach in Turin, Italy. The truth of the matter was that we were more like Teaching Assistants but we got our housing paid for, a small stipend and we got to live in Italy for a year! We had the best time! We traveled all over Europe, got to dip our toes in the education without the stress of first year teaching and just really enjoy life. It was a 1 year contract so the next spring I went to a job fair for international teaching. I interviewed with the American schools for Taiwan, Frankfurt, Germany, Brazil and the Sultan's school of Oman. I was offered a job at Escola Graduada de Sao Paulo in Brazil. It was touted as the "flagship" American School of South America. The pay was great - they paid for my housing and one meal a day at school. Half of my salary was automatically deposited and saved back home and I was able to live very well and travel often on the remaining money. I taught first grade which was by far the hardest grade. A lesson that took me 3 hours to plan took them 15 minutes to complete. It was so hard to constantly have engaging activities. I feel like it was clear to me that early elementary was not my thing. The second year, a 7th grade math position opened up and I found my place. I loved it, middle school is a magical age and I just completely connected with the students. I still keep in touch with my Brazilian students who are now in their 30s with babies of their own! It's amazing.
That winter I was flying between Rio and Sao Paulo and there was a problem with the landing gear. The flight attendants came around to collect eye glasses, books, anything that could fly around the cabin. The woman next to me made the sign of the cross and we all braced for impact. The last thought I had before we belly landed was "I'm wearing the wrong shoes to walk through fire and fuselage." I got back to my apartment and decided I was going to take a 5 year hiatus from teaching and see if my love for cooking could be a new career.
I moved to London and graduated from Le Cordon Bleu with Le Grand Diplome which was an associates degree in cuisine and pastry. I worked in a boutique hotel in Yorkshire for 1 year and then decided I needed to move back to the United States. I had been gone for a while and this was now post 9/11. I wanted to be home. I moved to New York City and landed a job that paid literally nothing at Saveur magazine. On the side I catered to make money but it is nearly impossible to live in NYC off of catering jobs. I had met my now husband and I took a job running the Sur La Table recreational cooking school in Richmond, Va. I was there for a year before we got married and we moved to NoVa. I worked in food sales selling food for a gourmet food importer. I talked to restaurants all day taking their orders and helping them match our products with their menu items. I also taught some classes at the Art Institute of Washington and Stratford University. I had gotten the teaching bug again.
When that five year mark was up, I knew I wanted to go back to teaching. I got certified in FACS and landed a job at Farmwell Station Middle School. Truth be told, I felt a bit ashamed teaching middle school FACS and not truly cooking classes, but middle school is my jam. You can be silly and irreverent and goofy and it's fun! I was there for 10 years, we moved to Oregon for 2 where I taught high school. Moved back to Va where I found another middle school job and then decided high school and specifically foods is what I wanted to focus on. I've been at Heritage for 4 years now. I truly love the students. I really like having flexibility in what I teach. It's lonely to be a department of 1 but it also gives me the freedom to decide what I teach and when. I love knowing that I am teaching a truly invaluable life skill. I don't know how English or Social Studies teachers do it. My students can see with their own eyes what they have done. I love seeing students again after they graduate. I just saw a student who was my waiter at a restaurant. Do you know what he said? He called his friend over and said "this is the teacher that taught me how to properly clean a table. All my managers say I am the best at sanitation." I know it doesn't seem like that big of a deal, but I directly helped that kid with his job skills. It's kind of cool at the end of the day. I don't know. That's why I like teaching. I like knowing that I am impacting someone's life and their future. It makes me feel like I make a difference, as corny as that sounds.
APPRENTICESHIP
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Volunteers for HERITAGE WINTER Arts and Crafts Show
Heritage High School
Email: carlina.chirufekel@lcps.org
Website: https://sites.google.com/lcps.org/hhscounseling
Location: 520 Evergreen Mill Road SE Leesburg, VA 20175
Phone: 571-252-2800
Facebook: facebook.com/HeritageHighSchoolVA
Twitter: @RoarPride