More than 100 Virginia students will receive a little extra help to encourage them further their education regardless of financial or social circumstances.
GRASP, Great Aspirations Scholarship Program, a non-profit, college and career access organization based in Richmond, awarded 220 scholarships totaling $237,500 to Virginia high school students graduating in 2025.
During the 2024-2025 academic year, GRASP implemented its programs via advisors who provide free, confidential, one-on-one counseling in 113 Virginia high schools to students seeking financial aid and scholarships for continuing education after high school – whether that is technical school, community college or a four-year university.
Advisors conducted meetings with more than 8,500 students this school year.
GRASP advisors provided financial aid advising this year through in-person meetings as well as virtual meetings, phone calls, email and texting, assisting students/families through the financial aid process to include completion of the FAFSA application. GRASP advisors work one day per week at each school. Appointments, which are free of charge, can be made through the schools’ counseling offices.
Many of this year’s scholarship recipients will be the first members of their families to attend postsecondary education.
GRASP will host seven regional scholarship luncheons in Warsaw, South Hill, Cedar Bluff, Staunton, Richmond, Hopewell and Williamsburg to recognize GRASP Scholarship recipients as well as high school seniors who have participated in the early commitment scholarship program. The Staunton regional luncheon will be held on May 29 at the Frontier Culture Museum. The recognition will include students from Highland, Bath, Staunton, Waynesboro, Augusta, Nelson, Amherst, Appomattox, Harrisonburg and Craig regions.
The advising program and scholarships are made possible by donor support and the Commonwealth of Virginia.
More information about GRASP is available at the website, www.grasp4va.org.
The full list of scholarship recipients is available online.
Crystal Abbe Graham is the regional editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1999 graduate of Virginia Tech, she has worked for 25 years as a reporter and editor for several Virginia publications, written a book, and garnered more than a dozen Virginia Press Association awards for writing and graphic design. She was the co-host of “Viewpoints,” a weekly TV news show, and co-host of Virginia Tonight, a nightly TV news show on PBS. Her work on “Virginia Tonight” earned her a national Telly award for excellence in television.
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