{"id":9344,"date":"2026-01-26T09:43:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T15:43:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=9344"},"modified":"2026-01-26T09:43:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T15:43:13","slug":"from-high-school-to-grad-school-winning-scholarships-without-going-into-debt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=9344","title":{"rendered":"From High School to Grad School: Winning Scholarships Without Going into Debt"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--powerpress_player--><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_2010\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-9344-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/blindabilities\/ScholarshipsSSBJoshua2026.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/blindabilities\/ScholarshipsSSBJoshua2026.mp3\">https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/blindabilities\/ScholarshipsSSBJoshua2026.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Podcast Summary:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Paying for college can feel overwhelming, but scholarships may be closer\u2014and more achievable\u2014than you think. In this Blind Abilities episode, Joshua Olukanni shares his journey from high school to graduate studies at Georgetown University, and how scholarships helped him pursue college with far less debt. Joshua explains what scholarships really are, why there\u2019s one for nearly everyone, and how applying can offer a higher return on your time than a part-time job. He walks listeners through getting organized, using tools like spreadsheets to track deadlines, and seeking feedback to strengthen essays and applications. Joshua also highlights the role State Services for the Blind played by sharing opportunities and supporting his goals. His message to high school students is clear: stay humble, stay organized, ask for help, and apply widely. A few focused hours can change your financial future\u2014and reduce stress for years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To find out more about the services provided at State Services for the Blind, and what they can do for you, contact Shane DeSantis at&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:shane.desantis@state.mn.us\">shane.desantis@state.mn.us<\/a>&nbsp;or call Shane at&nbsp;651-385-5205.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=9341\">Full Transcript<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks for listening!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<!--powerpress_player--><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_2012\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-9344-3\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/blindabilities\/ScholarshipsSSBJoshua2026.mp3?_=3\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/blindabilities\/ScholarshipsSSBJoshua2026.mp3\">https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/blindabilities\/ScholarshipsSSBJoshua2026.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><p>https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/blindabilities\/ScholarshipsSSBJoshua2026.mp3 Podcast Summary: Paying for college can feel overwhelming, but scholarships may be closer\u2014and more achievable\u2014than you think. In this Blind Abilities episode, Joshua Olukanni shares his journey from high school to graduate studies at Georgetown University, and how scholarships helped him pursue college with far less debt. Joshua explains what scholarships really are, why [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[17,373,263,559],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bapresents","category-career","category-college","category-ssb","post_format-post-format-audio"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6rcRg-2qI","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9339,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=9339","url_meta":{"origin":9344,"position":0},"title":"Scholarships Don\u2019t Find You\u2014You Find Them: A Student\u2019s Real-World Guide","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"January 26, 2026","format":"audio","excerpt":"Podcast Summary: Applying for scholarships can feel overwhelming, but as Maddy Majors shares in this Blind Abilities episode, the effort is absolutely worth it. Now a college student at the University of Minnesota, Maddy walks listeners through what scholarships really are, how she searched for them, and what the application\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;BlindAbilities Presents&quot;","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8631,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=8631","url_meta":{"origin":9344,"position":1},"title":"Student Readiness: Navigating College with Confidence: Tips for Students with Vision Loss","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"March 27, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Podcast Summary: In this episode of Blind Abilities, Jeff Thompson speaks with three professionals from State Services for the Blind (SSB)\u2014Kate Larson, Randi Lasher, and Shane DeSantis\u2014who support students with vision loss as they prepare for life after high school. They share helpful tips about applying for college, getting financial\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;BlindAbilities Presents&quot;","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4643,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=4643","url_meta":{"origin":9344,"position":2},"title":"Team See Possibilities Launches Inaugural Global Scholarship Program","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"March 7, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Team See Possibilities is excited to announce the launch of our Global Scholarship Program, designed to help students with vision loss invest in their education. Since 2014, Team See Possibilities, co-founded by blind endurance athlete Dan Berlin with teammates Charles Scott, Alison Qualter-Berna, and Brad Graff, has taken on epic\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;BlindAbilities Presents&quot;","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"team see possibilities - what's your possibility?","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/team-see-possibilities.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8320,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=8320","url_meta":{"origin":9344,"position":3},"title":"Internships are Making a Difference for These Four College Students, Joshua, Qi, Jackson, and Josh, During Their Transition from High School to College and the Workplace","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"July 17, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Full Transcript Podcast Summary: In this focus on student Internships, State Services for the Blind's Transition Work Opportunities Navigator, Randi Lasher, gives us an overview of student internships and how SSB works with the students to assist them in achieving their career goals. Listen in as Joshua, Qi, Jackson, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Career&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Career","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=373"},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9362,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=9362","url_meta":{"origin":9344,"position":4},"title":"From Gestures to Jobs: Learning Assistive Tech That Actually Matters","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"February 5, 2026","format":"audio","excerpt":"Learning assistive technology isn\u2019t just about memorizing shortcuts\u2014it\u2019s about building skills that open doors to school, work, and everyday life. In this episode, Cheryl McIntosh and Sree Roy share how mastering screen readers like JAWS, NVDA, and VoiceOver can turn frustration into confidence. They break down why fundamentals matter, how\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;BlindAbilities Presents&quot;","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_0035.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_0035.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_0035.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_0035.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5458,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=5458","url_meta":{"origin":9344,"position":5},"title":"Way of the Servant Warrior: Meet Professional Adventurer Joshua \u201cThe Jedi\u201d Loya \u2013 Grappling with, Surfing through, and Speaking about Life","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"October 9, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Full Transcript Show Summary: Joshua \u201cThe Jedi\u201d Loya is a professional adventurer, martial artist, U.S. Visually Impaired Surfing Champion 2017 and 2019 and public speaker. He lost his eyesight due to a prior health condition and an accident with nunchucks when he was a sophomore in high school. Since that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;BlindAbilities Presents&quot;","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9344"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9344\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9345,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9344\/revisions\/9345"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}