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Scholar of fortune Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Through diligence and hard work, Eagle Point High School graduate Richelle Blanchard has amassed nearly $750,000 in grants and scholarships � including a full ride to her university of choice, Princeton. Eagle Point grad piles up nearly $750,000 in scholarships By Vicki Guarino EAGLE POINT � From a community association�s $250, to the American Legion�s $20,500, to Princeton University�s $94,040, winning scholarships has become a major industry for one Eagle Point High School graduate. Richelle Blanchard has amassed nearly $750,000 in grants and awards, a fortune she attributes not to spectacular skill but to dogged diligence. "I�m good at a lot of things, but the reality is, I�m not awesome at anything,�� Blanchard says. You could do it, too How hard is it to win $750,000 worth of scholarships? According to Richelle Blanchard, it takes 100 percent effort and dogged diligence. But here�s a few tips to get started: * Start early. Richelle began writing essays, delivering speeches and volunteering in her community in junior high. Scholarship committees look for students who give back to their communities. * Keep up your grades. Many scholarships require strong academic performance. * Get involved in sports and/or extra-curricular activities. * Begin applying in earnest in your junior year. Check out the Oregon Student Assistance Commission�s Web site, www.osac.state.or.us The site allows students to quickly search which categories they fall into for scholarships and apply for up to 12 at once. * Apply, apply, apply. Richelle credits her success to effort over skill. Unless, of course, you consider her performance in the scholarship arena. Since junior high, Blanchard has written essays, delivered speeches and filled out volumes of application forms in pursuit of college money. One of Blanchard�s largest awards is the full, four-year scholarship from Princeton. The school of her choice, the institution that most impressed her with its reputation and sense of history, made her the most generous of scholarship offers. Most of the rest of Blanchard�s scholarship fund is in full scholarships to other schools � nine all together, ranging from $94,800 from Lewis and Clark to $45,000 from the University of Texas. By accepting Princeton�s offer, Richelle disqualifies herself for the other grants. However, she retains about $40,000 in awards and nonsite-specific scholarships. The Blanchard family lives comfortably in rural Eagle Point. Richelle�s father, John, is a school board member and owns a business. Her mother, Shirley, has taught kindergarten in the Eagle Point district for many years. College for Richelle had always been the family�s expectation, but Richelle�s own plans far outdistanced the family budget. By the time Richelle started junior high, she had decided she wanted to go to an Ivy League school. She wanted a good school, and she wanted the experience of living on the East Coast. She will major in psychology, then continue her education in law school. As Richelle and her parents began plotting out her college future, it became clear that some significant financing would be necessary. Richelle credits her high school counselors with setting her on a profitable financial track. She combined academic achievement and community involvement with hours of scholarship research. Many financing programs make awards to students who have made extra effort to give something to their communities, she says. Richelle volunteered in a number of youth programs. She spent time with her mother�s kindergartners, she designed and directed a personal safety course for Eagle Point elementary students. In school, she lettered in several sports, earned straight A�s and was involved in student government and academic teams. Her extra-curricular honors have taken her to Washington, D.C., Louisville, Ky., and New York City. Her list of activities fills a page, single-spaced. Her list of honors and distinctions fills another half-page. By the time Richelle was in 10th grade, she had her first award: $2,000 from the Miss Teen of Oregon competition. She spent years practicing the Scholastic Aptitude Test, taking the PSAT in ninth and 10th grades and the SAT three times beginning in her junior year. Her scores were high enough to put her in the National Merit Scholar program. "I didn�t have to do any of this stuff," Richelle says. "I enjoy it.�� What she has found she most enjoys is putting out the effort, the sense of reward she gets from knowing she put 100 percent of herself into her work. "I just enjoy doing things well,�� she says. "There are so many people who are just as smart or smarter than me, but I put so much effort into what I�m doing," Blanchard says. "I care more. That makes all the difference." 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