College Grants Available for students with Lupus?

Hi all! 

Hi Stars !!

Welcome to the forum sis. YES! That would be a lot on a healthy person's plate!! I'm so sorry you are having to deal with all of this at such a young age.

I really don't know anything about available $ for college . . . but wanted to welcome you to the forum.

Blessings!

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In His Grip

AlwaysRosie           "We can't control the waves, but we can learn how to surf!!"

Psalms 139

Co-Moderator - Lupus Forum

UCTD, Inflammatory Arthritis, Diverticulosis, (recent dx - Sjogrens, Crohn’s 4/08)

Clickable Links:  Lupus Resources    Lupous.Org   Lupus Criteria (4 of 11)   Lupus Chapter Locator

Thanks for all the support!  No matter how loving and supportive you family and friends are, they never truly understand how challenging it can be to function when you have a disease like this.  I am going to school for Exceptional Education.  I love working with children with disabilities such as autism... I really feel like I can connect with them and communicate.  I love it.  Anyway, I do not live in Canada, although I have visited there - it is really beautiful!  I live in the U.S.  I really feel that there should be some assistance out there for people with Lupus going through college.  It can easily become just as much as a disability as any other health related disability out there... it's just harder to see... harder to explain.  Anyway, I could rant on about it for a while, but - thanks again for replying, I appreciate it!

Thanks for the help!  I will definatly do that!

Hi Stars. I googled "student grants lupus" and found a couple of grant sources, so try a few google searches. You may want to consider loans. I didn't get my bachelor's until I was 36 and I didn't have lupus. Through much of this I was a single working mom and I took 1 or 2 classes a semester. Getting my BS changed my life (for the better) so don't give up. Just keep at it! Love, Butterflake

Thanks so much! I am not too handy with google, and although I searched, I didn't use those keywords - I will give it a try :.) Thanks a bunch, I appreciate you taking the time to research that!!!

Greetings Stars! What a great career you are pursuing! I have been in education for 23 years now and I have loved every minute of it! I have founs that I love students of all ages and there is a special place in my heart for my students with autism. Finding a job in Special Education, especially with an endorsement for autism, will be easier for you since Special Education teachers are in such high demand!

If you qualify for a federal loan and find a teaching job in either a rural or an urban community, your loans will be forgiven. I think you must teach in the community for four or five years - not sure - but the school just fills out a special form each year and they do not send you the bill!

First, you need to go to your college financial aid office to get the required forms for the loan (I think it is called the FAFSA Loan) and fill this out with your family. You need to do this as soon as possible since classes start within a month now. In addition, the counselors at the financial aid office may be able to point you to other scholarships for which you might qualify.

Good luck to you! Do not ever give up. It is OK to take some reduced class loads so that you can pace yourself and avoid flares.

Audrey

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Wow! How encouraging. I just went into the financial aid office on Friday and was informed of that. Apparently you can have your loans forgiven on a national level and a state level. One of them offers what you are saying, and the other offers to forgive something like $1200 a year if you match it. They will do that every year until your loans are gone. Pretty cool. The only think I am nervous about with using the 5 year forgiveness is if I decide to start a family in that time or something like that. Do you know if they allow for gaps in the employment history for maternity leave? Just curious... I read through the info, but didn't get a clear answer on it. I can always make another appointment to talk to the financial aid again, but I thought I'd ask you too, because you seem to be very knowledgable about it all. Thank you so much! By the way... which area/age do you currently teach?

Great, I am happy you are looking into all options.

I would think that if you were on an approved maternity leave that you would be fine. If you would actually quit your position with the hopes of finding another position later, then I would not think that would be OK. Also, you could try to time your babies for the summer (I was lucky to be able to do this - I had one in June and one in July) and hope family could help you out with child care.

Currently, I am an elementary principal (K-5) and I have taught first, fifth, sixth, and kindergarten as well as serving as an Instructional Consultant K-12. Education is a very rewarding career but it is also very hard work. I do not know very many teachers who actually take the summer off. Many take classes in the summer or serve on curriculum committees or coach students or write grants. Teachers are amazing! Be prepared to pay for all of your licensing and certification tests. Also, you will, most likely, subsidize your classroom with toys, office supplies, books, and some teaching materials. It is amazing how giving teachers can be. Special Education is in demand but in other areas of education there is a surplus of candidates. I just read through 166 applications for one first grade position. It was heartbreaking. Most of the applications were very good. I wish I had time to interview about 120 of them!

Anyway, I am not sure how bad your lupus is, but, you should be abl to pace yourself in this career. I have RA and lupus and I have teachers with various autoimmune problems and we all support each other. You really have to guard your time and make sure you go to bed early EVERY night.

All my best to you!

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