Important Information for Parents of Seniors: Remember that the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is the APPLICATION FORM for the Tennessee Lottery Scholarships as well as the application for need-based aid at the majority of colleges and universities. If you hope to qualify for a Lottery Scholarship, you must designate a Tennessee school as a report recipient in order for you to be activated in the lottery verification system. CPA is responsible for verifying the qualifying grade point average (3.0) and test scores (ACT of 21) for each eligible student. It is strongly recommended that the FAFSA be completed as soon as possible. Be cognizant of the fact that the lottery deadline may be too late for a particular college or university as deadlines vary greatly from college to college. Families are further encouraged to complete the process online as paper applications have not been shipped to high schools. Highly selective colleges may also require a college specific form for financial aid known as the CSS PROFILE. The PROFILE may actually be filed in the fall of the senior year, and parents do NOT have to wait until the tax return has been completed. Please make sure that you as a parent are aware of the forms a college requires BEFORE it is too late.

Career Day
Question: What do a CPA graduate from the Class of 2001 who is a field biologist, a trial attorney with a twenty year career in litigation, a CPA dad whose face once graced the cover of Fortune magazine, and a singer-songwriter-music producer from Memphis have in common?
Answer: All of these individuals were a part in the 2008 High School Career Day.
On Friday, May 7, CPA parent and Gold Medal Olympian from the 1984 Summer Olympics, David Wilson, shared sage advice in his keynote speech at the opening assembly of the 2008 Career Day. Wilson challenged students to consider it was not so much the “what” of what you do, but rather, the “how” of how you do it that matters more to potential employers and, ultimately, to the individual in the development of character. He mentioned passion and loyalty, as well as the need to find a calling in order to be able to persevere in careers that will sometimes require more of you than you are willing to give. In a speech peppered with humorous personal anecdotes, Wilson also encouraged the students to take advantage of the opportunities set before them that day. His comments coincided with the preparation high school students had received from their advisors earlier in the day.
Following the opening assembly, students were able to attend two different sessions that had been previously selected from among 21 different career clusters. High school teachers served as classroom hosts and moderators for the panel discussions which allowed students the opportunity to interact directly with the participants.
The behind-the-scenes work required to bring nearly ninety business professionals from the surrounding area of Nashville was well worth the effort. Career Day Coordinator Melanie Barrett, Assistant in the College Planning Department, worked for two months hand-in-hand with PSF Chair Kathy Snodgrass and her committee. The success of their combined efforts was immediately obvious.

“Outstanding program. Highly effective and well-organized,” commented one participant. Another said, “I only wish my high school had done something like this!” and yet another stated, “Kudos to you for bringing all of us together…I actually learned a great deal from the other participants here today.”
And from the students, “It was a great day. I learned so much,” and from another, “This was a pretty painless and unusually beneficial learning experience,” and finally, “The guy in Session I gave me his business card and told me to give him a call this summer so that I can arrange to shadow him . . . Please do this again!”
It was a highly successful day, marked by team effort and cooperation. Parents, faculty, administrators, students, and professionals from the school and community came together to create an educational experience that transcended the walls of the traditional classroom.