Education/Youth

MUSIC LESSON FROM THE MASTERS: Mariachi Los Matadores were thrilled to have both music maestros Jesus Chuy Guzman and Carlos Gutierrez working with the students! (Photo courtesy of Dr. Lauryn Salazar/TTU Music)

Get vaccinated! ¡Vacunarse!

IN FEBRUARY

· Complete the FAFSA, if possible. (You'll need your family's/ guardian's tax records.) · Keep track of your college applications; be sure all schools have received all your materials. · Stay focused on grades.

What is the FAFSA and How Do I apply?

BY CHRISTY MARTINEZ-GARCIA FOR LATINO LUBBOCK MAGAZINE

Plan how to pay for college before you start. Ask school counselors and the college financial aid office about state, college, and nonprofit grants and scholarships you can apply for. Be sure to meet application deadlines. Start saving before you get to college. Consider prepaid tuition and education savings (529) plans. Next, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form allows you to be considered for federal that student aid. In addition, states and colleges use FAFSA information to award their own grants, scholarships, and loans. But, since aid is limited, you have to meet the deadlines and apply as soon as possible! Submit FAFSA for each school year to qualify for grants, scholarships, federal work-study and federal student loans. Deadlines vary for federal, state and institutional aid. For the 2022–23 Academic Year, the FAFSA form must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Central time (CT) on June 30, 2022. Any corrections or updates must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. CT on Sept. 10, 2022. The federal government gives students a deadline of June 30 after the school year in which they need aid — for instance, June 30, 2022, for the 2021-22 school year or June 30, 2022, for the 2022-23 school year — to file the FAFSA. But you have to submit the form much earlier to meet financial aid deadlines for your state and college and to get your aid dollars in time for the start of the school year. States and individual colleges set their own FAFSA deadlines that are typically much earlier than the federal one. You have to file your application by these deadlines to qualify for state and institutional grants and scholarships. If you’re attending an out-of-state school, you may not qualify for state aid — check with the state to see if you do. Find your state financial aid deadline on the Federal Student Aid website. The federal deadline is your last chance to submit the FAFSA each year. If you need financial aid for the 2021-22 school year, you can submit the form until June 30, 2022. Work-study dollars and most state and institutional aid will run out the fastest for 202122, but there will still be time to qualify for federal grants and student loans. Even if you wait until June 30, you can receive these grants and loans retroactively to cover what you’ve already paid for the spring and fall semester. Or, depending on your school, you may be able to apply the funds to pay for 2022 summer school. Track colleges’ financial aid deadlines. Priority deadlines at individual schools often fall the earliest, so those deadlines are the most important to track. Those dates are also the best chance to get the most aid. Look up the deadlines for all of the schools you’re applying to and write them down in one place — try using your phone’s calendar, a spreadsheet or a notebook dedicated to your college search. Submit any other financial aid applications. Many schools require additional or alternative financial aid applications, such as the CSS Profile, to qualify for state or institutional aid. You’ll need to submit all the required paperwork before the deadline to be considered for aid. Above all, remember Oct. 1. It’s not a deadline, but if you submit your FAFSA soon after that day, you’ll cover all your bases. So don't procrastinate, and don't rely on others to do your work. After all, the early bird truly gets the worm! Wait for your financial aid award letter, which details how much free aid you qualify for and how much in federal loans you can borrow. For more information visit www. fafsa.gov and of course speak with your school counselor as soon as possible. Good luck from Latino Lubbock Magazine! Don't wait!

Education & Scholarship Updates

SCHOLARSHIP INFO ONLINE Fast-

web.com - This website claims to be the most complete source of local, national, and college-specific scholarships on the net. It lists thousands of scholarships. When you sign up, you can get email updates when new scholarships become available. Good and free resource. COLLEGE BOARD Fund Finder is an online tool to help you locate scholarships, internships, grants, and loans that match your education level, talents, and background. Apply online at: bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search COLLEGENET A convenient, speedy site which searches scholarships from categories such as ACT and SAT scores, GPA, etc. Apply online at: www.collegenet. com

DON’T MESS WITH TEXAS

SCHOLARSHIP CONTEST, in partnership with Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB), recognizes the achievements of high school seniors who have taken a leadership role to prevent litter in their school and/ or community. Any Texas high school senior planning to pursue a two- or four-year degree in the state of Texas for the Fall 2022 semester may apply at www.dontmesswithtexas.org/education-overview/ scholarships until March 31, 2022.

GOYA FOODS CULINARY ARTS AND FOOD SCIENCE SCHOL-

ARSHIPS is available on a competitive basis to students entering an accredited two-year or four-year institution. Scholarships are in the amount of $5,000 awarded per academic year starting in Fall 2022 and are renewable for up to three additional years. Four students will receive a total of $20,000 each. For more information and to apply, please visit: goya.com Deadline: March 21, 2022. LEARNING EXPRESS LIBRARY is a learning hub for all ages. Whether you would like to prep for college entrance exams, improve your computer skills, get ahead at work or find out what career you are best suited for, this is the place for you. Learning Express also provides help for High School students, including math and science, English language arts, social studies, and prep for the STAAR and TSI tests. To access from home, you will need your LBK public library card number.

NATIONAL STUDENT NURSES'

ASSOCIATION, Inc. (NSNA) Breakthrough To Nursing Scholarships For Ethnic Apply online at www.nsna.org

MARGARET MAHER SCHOL-

ARSHIP award varies from $2,000 to $8,000 per year. For requirements visit www.margaretmaherscholarship.org/requirements

Youth Opportunities

VALENTINE CANVAS PAINTING

FOR KIDS Let’s make art! This is a free event for children and all supplies will be provided by Mahon Library, in - cluded canvases, paint, brushes, templates, and more! Bring your inner Picasso and make a work of art that you can gift to a loved one for Valentine’s Day! Feb. 11, 4 -5 p.m., at Mahon Library 1306 9th St.

LOVE BUG VALENTINE CARD-

HOLDER PAPER BAG CRAFT at Maggie Trejo Supercenter, 3200 Amherst. Kids will love to create their very own unique Valentine bag to hold all their cards for the class party! Feb. 12th, 10 a.m. Cost: $3/person. Ages: 6-12 years.

ANIME VALENTINE'S & ANTI-

VALENTINE'S PARTY Join us on Valentine's day, Feb. 14th, for a fun 2 part program! Teens (ages 12+ from 4:30-5:30) will make valentine fortune cookies and play games while watching cute, sweet, romantic valentine anime episodes. Older Teens & adults (ages 15+ from 5:30-6:30) at Groves Branch Library, 5520 19th St. TIE DYE VALENTINE'S Join us as we make tie dye hearts out of everyday materials such as paper, markers, and pipe cleaners. Feb. 15th, 5:30 pm at Patterson Branch Library, 1836 Parkway Dr.

MY FURRY VALEN-

TINE is an annual event held at Maxey Community Center, Maxey Community Center, 4020 30th St. for ALL family members, with special games, and prizes for our little furry family members. This year in order to encourage pre-registration we are offering a pre-registration price of $5. Price will increase to $10 day of event. For more information, please call 806-7673796.

FREE ONLINE MOVIES FOR

KIDS Did you know you can watch movies online through the library?!? We've got movies for all ages available through the OverDrive App (not Libby) or on the website lubbock.overdrive.com! OPEN FITNESS Avoid the unpredictable weather of high winds and too hot temperatures. Use our fitness equipment to get fit! Treadmill, bikes and more! Ages 13+ (13-16 yrs. needs guardian) 3 p.m., M-F at the Trejo Center. Free. TEEN HELP: Catholic Charities offers FREE help for youth up to 17 years old struggling with negative behaviors, loss of self-respect, bullying, etc. Parents may call 1-800-530-4704 and make a confidential appointment.

LMS Coder Team Earn 2nd Place at State

Levelland Middle School’s (LMS) 806 LoboZ-LoboetteZ CoderZ team competed at the State Basket Bot CoderZ League Tournament on January 5th and earned Second Place! The CoderZ students faced three teams from Texas Serenity Academy out of Houston and a team from Douglas Elementary out of Tyler. LMS knocked them out of the playoffs competition by scoring the highest baskets in each single-elimination match. For the finals, they faced Central Junior High School out of Euless, but lost that match and placed 2nd for state. LMS advanced to the top 32 because of Zaden Esparza’s code on Basket Bot during group stages with a score of 660. Zoey Zuniga and Giovanni Presley scored the second highest with a score of 610 for Basket Bot. Also, Giovanni Presley and Christian Chagoya were LMS top points collectors with over 2,000 points each in preliminaries. The rest of the CoderZ team members helped during preliminaries with point collecting to allow LMS to be one of the top 64 teams in the state to advance. All team members worked together to submit a code before Christmas break for state playoffs. Additionally, Christian Chagoya was selected as team captain to submit and finalize the code for Playoffs. Congratulations from 806 LoboZLoboetteZ CoderZ team and their teacher Ms. Rejino from Latino Lubbock Magazine!

In hindsight, I am grateful for research experiences in allowing me to develop patience, critical thinking, and a heart for resolving problems that impact human life. In college, I truly seized all chances by applying for every possible scholarship, internship, and research position. Not being afraid of rejection only propelled me forward. I’m happy to share that I will share the excitement of science with young students in an after-school STEM program as I wait to leave for Maryland in the summer. It is fulfilling to come full circle by returning to my elementary school and showing others the possibilities that are afforded to those who show courage in achieving their goals. I can’t imagine where I’d be if I listened to the voice that told me, “Science is too hard.” As seen in the movie, Sing 2, bravery is necessary in all pursuits because pivotal moments in life demand a form of heroism. With that said, I return to my daily duties thanking God and singing the song, “This girl is on fire!”

Bailee Alonzo - is a recent graduate from Texas Tech, who majored in Biology/PreMed. She aspires to become a dermatologist. Congratulations from Latino Lubbock Magazine & My College Experience. YOU

DID IT!

HARWELL SUPERSTARS SHINE AT UIL COMPETITION: Congratulations to the Harwell Elementary UIL A+ teams! The Superstars were ready and placed in different categories. Among them was Harwell Superstar Joaquin who took 2nd place for storytelling! Congratulations to all of these students for their hard work and dedication from Latino Lubbock Magazine!

LUBBOCK HIGH CHEER UIL COMPETITION SQUAD 2022: They performed the UIL State Cheer Competition January 14 in Fort Worth. Although they did not place, they had an amazing experience! Congratulations from Latino Lubbock Magazine! (Photo by Lori Torres)