New $60,000 Scholarship and Loan Repayment Fund Supports Future School Counselors from Historically Marginalized Communities

Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling is pleased to announce a significant new scholarship opportunity—the School Counseling Annual Scholarship and Loan Repayment Assistance Program for School Counselors (SCAS & LRAP)—designed specifically to support recently admitted school counseling students who self-identify as members of one or more historically marginalized communities.

“Lewis & Clark Graduate School’s school counseling program is focused on inclusion, equity, dismantling systems of oppression, and creating affirming spaces for k-12 students,” said school counseling program director Heather Hadraba. “This anonymous gift will increase accessibility to our program, while focusing on recruiting diverse school counselors in training.”

A unique two-part scholarship and loan repayment program, the SCAS & LRAP offers recipients a $10,000 School Counseling Annual Scholarship (SCAS) upon admission to the program, and later encourages these same school counselors to remain working in Portland metro area public schools by easing the debt burden after graduation with an additional $10,000 Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP). Successful graduates must seek employment as a school counselor in a public elementary, middle, or high school in Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, Marion, or Yamhill county and maintain full-time employment in one of these counties for the first two years post-graduation in order to become eligible to apply for the additional $10,000 LRAP award.

Students eligible for the SCAS & LRAP must:

• Be a self-identified member of one or more historically marginalized communities, or demonstrate significant commitment to promoting social justice and equity through PK-20 education and serving underserved student populations.
• Express an interest in becoming a licensed school counselor.
• Meet the customary requirements for admission to the MEd program.
• Remain a full-time student throughout the MEd program.
• Seek employment as a school counselor in a public elementary, middle, or high school located in Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, Marion, or Yamhill county and maintain full-time employment in one of these counties for the first two years post-graduation.

To Apply

Interested applicants should submit a one-page statement that describes their qualifications and interest in receiving SCAS & LRAP scholarship assistance. Statements must be emailed to the graduate admissions office at gseadmit@lclark.edu by June 1, 2022 in order to be considered. Recipients of the scholarship will be notified by June 15, 2022.