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students with the same SAT prep courses that affluent students pay for in order to level the playing field.

Tip No. 6, Focus on Writing and English: Even if a Latino student is focused on a STEM career, pay careful attention (o doing well in English. Learning to write coherently and thinking critically form the building blocks of earning a STEM scholarship.

Tip No. 7, Emphasize Resilience: There are a spate of students who enter high school, express interest in majoring in STEVl fields in college and meet resistance in a beginning chemistry or calculus course. Frustrated, they give up and shift directions. Try to stay resilient. One tough class shouldn't deter a Latino student from pursuing science or math. Learn to bounce back, build your intellectual capacity and move on.

Tip No. 8, Emulate Previous Winners: Scholarship winners come in all si?cs and shapes, but most are first-generation undergraduates who achieved academically in high school, show persistence and learn to solve problems. Demonstrate leadership and take initiative.

Tip No. 9, Think About Earning Several Scholarsliips: Alvarez recommended that students don't get trapped in narrow, tunnel vision when competing for financial aid. Don't think only about science and engineering financial aid; think about earning scholarships. "Start thinking about scholarships designed around certain majors and careers." recommended Alvarez.

Tip No. 10, It's Not Just the GPA: The more community involvement you display, the stronger your application, Scholarships are not just awarded based on grades or SAl' scores but are usually given to students on a holistic basis.

Following are seven top STEM scholarsliips for Latinos:

Google Scholarships

Google is aware of the changing demographics boosting the Latino population in the U.S. and wants to ensure that it attracts a diversified labor force. It collaborates with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund to offer five i10,000-a-year scholarships for Latino students interested in STEM fields, Alvarez said criteria for awarding the scholarships include GPA, class standing, essays submitted, and community involvement. Google is seeking serious science-minded students who have made a commitment lo taking challenging STEM courses and performed well in these classes. For more info, go to the Hispanic Scholarship Fund website, www.hsf.net

NASA Scholarships

NASA's Aeronautics Scholarship Program is not targeted solely for Latino students but is open to high school students of all ethnicities. Students are awarded $ 15,000 a year for two years for educational expenses and are also given an additional $10,000 Io finance summer internships at the NASA Research Center.

The executive team at NASA wants to attract talented Latino and minority students with a flair for science and engineering. "The federal government does work force projections. They know the demographics of the growing minority population/* Alvarez said. Students need to perform internships with NASA and travel to workshops.

Alliance/Merck Ciencia (Science) Hispanic Scholarship Program

The Alliance/Merck Ciencia (Science) Hispanic Scholarship Program offers two types of scholarships. It offers 10 Hispanic high school seniors who plan to pursue STEM majors a $42,500 scholarship package, But winners must attend high