For five years, Buckingham County High School students and staff have seen rewards from collaboration with Great Aspirations Scholarship Program (GRASP), which provides in-school financial advising to students.

The school has had a GRASP financial adviser as part of the counseling program for the past five years, according to school counselor Sue Miles.

“The adviser has made a tremendous difference in the lives of our college-bound seniors by meeting them on an individual basis to help them have a better understanding of the process of applying for money for college,” said Miles. 

“The GRASP advisor also works with our counseling department on programs that support our efforts to provide information on the post-secondary experience.”

Miles said the school has received a grant from the Bama Works Foundation to support the program.

“We are also very grateful to the Bama Works Foundation for supporting us through this grant and to GRASP for making it happen,” Miles said.

The Bama Works Fund was established in 1999 by the Dave Matthews Band, according to its website. The scholarship stems from a fund administered by the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation.

Buckingham’s GRASP adviser Taylor Leuthold said as an in-school adviser, he is responsible for reviewing financial aid materials such as loans, scholarships, work study programs and grants.

“We also show them tools to help give them an idea what they may get back in financial aid. We help them work through the FAFSA forms,” he said.

“We help review their award letters, and the best part is we are just there to simply make it a little easier on the kids and families as they begin this new phase in their lives called college.”

Leuthold said GRASP does a great job providing these resources to schools in order to help students succeed.

“We are indebted to the GRASP Foundation and know that their work in our school is making a difference in the lives of our students,” Miles said.