Are the scholarships you received for one year only…or for each of the next four years? If only one year, you may need that money in the bank to help pay your college bills.
The scholarships I received are renewable for 4 years. I was grateful to have received over $60,000 in external scholarships from local, regional, and national scholarship programs.
As to the never-ending mission of @JustOneDad to make me out as a bad person that wants to steal public money, please stop being so negative until you know more facts.
Money was very tight when I was growing up, and I couldn’t do many things simply because my family could not afford it. When I entered high school, I met a few other kids like me from poor backgrounds. When I was in 10th grade, with the help of an adult mentor, we started a non-profit aimed to help kids growing up in poverty. The trip to Austria was not so I could go drink up a storm and tear down the country, it was a first stop before moving father east with other volunteers. We were going to rendezvous with a poverty-aid organization in Austria.
Last I knew, it was permissible (even expected) for low income kids to work to pay their way on class trips. However, in no state in this country should minors have to work to pull their families above the poverty line. The adults should be able to earn a living wage without having to revert to a system of child labor in order to make ends meet.
According to federal regulations, students and their families are permitted to have cash in the bank and still qualify for federal and state grants, so I see nothing wrong with families having cash in the bank. I think what many families are asking is how to shield their income and assets. I see higher income people come here for advice like that too; the only difference I see is the amount of respect families get increases with the amount of their income.
“in no state in this country should minors have to work to pull their families above the poverty line.”
Exactly. Low income kids have a right to be kids as much as higher income kids do. Some work part time to help out with the bills, but at the end of the day it’s a choice and not a responsibility, in the same way that it’s often stated here how parents are not responsible to pay for college.
Although minors should not have to work to pull their families above the poverty line, they will need to use their own money for all kind of needed things. At least, one would treasure very much their saving. For an inexperience student with limited money to invest in the stock market (particularly these few months) does not make any sense.
How much was the trip to Austria going to coat? It sounds like it was a worthwhile trip…that fell through. Good that you got the money back. If you lose money in a stock market investment…it won’t be returned.
@thumper1 - the trip cost $5,600 including airfare, lodging, and most of the meals over the course of 16 days. About losing it all in the market, that is a very realistic possibility.
“they will need to use their own money for all kind of needed things. At least, one would treasure very much their saving”
Yes, of course. And I agree that the stocks idea isn’t a sound one…I was referring more to the kid’s right to spend on the trip.