The Higher Education Scholarship Fund Supports Rising (Rock) Stars

Rock to the Future is entering the second year of our Higher Education Scholarship Fund! The fund, established in honor of Jaime and Andrew Katz, will provide $1,000 awards to two of our five graduating seniors to attend college or trade school. The awards, Highest Achievement and Most Improved, honor the work that students have made in their academic and personal lives while taking part in the MusiCore after school program.

2018’s five graduating seniors Alexus, Jared, Lydia, Najah, and Richard are all eligible for scholarships.

According to Rock to the Future Founding Executive Director Jessica Craft, “The greatest obstacle for many students is finding the money to attend college or trade school. Our students work hard but unfortunately we’ve seen students passing up opportunities because they need an extra thousand dollars. The new scholarship fund will help these students achieve their dreams.”

For the past five years,100% of graduating MusiCore students attended post-secondary education (college or trade school). This year, the five graduating seniors plan to study music education, video game design, criminology, and journalism. All the seniors have already submitted their FAFSA and applied to colleges. In 2017, Rock to the Future awarded four scholarships totaling $5,000.

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“It helped me out a ton. I was able to take a lot of stress off my parents, and it felt really good that I had done in a way that I felt like I earned it and accomplished something great and could make them proud,” says Sophie M.

The recipient of the Most Improved scholarship in 2017, Sophie is now studying education at Penn State, where she has just joined the honors program. “I have made so many amazing friends and memories that would not have been possible if Jess, Josh, and everyone at Rock to the future hadn’t driven me (sometimes literally) to this point and kept me motivated and wanting to learn and expand my interests since I started the program in the seventh grade.”

Rock to the Future uses music education as the foundation for academic and emotional growth. The MusiCore after-school program provides a scholarship writing club, college and trade school application support, and college visit trips for high school juniors and seniors. At Rock to the Future, students learn that being a rockstar requires dedication, practice, and hard work. As a result, Rock to the Future students are prepared to take on any stage!