#192 Scholarship Strategy: What To Do Each Year of High School with Dave Peterson

Flourish Coaching

Sep 16, 2025

In this episode, Lisa and Dave discuss:

Strategies for applying to scholarships throughout all four years of high school
Building and refining a personal narrative that connects past experiences to future goals
The role of family involvement and culture in long-term scholarship success
National, local, and organizational scholarship opportunities are available at different grade levels

Key Takeaways:

Students should begin applying for scholarships as early as freshman year, even if it’s only one every other month, to gain experience and confidence.
Juniors should focus on refining their personal narrative while taking advantage of exclusive, high-value scholarships that become available only in 11th grade.
Seniors benefit from applying to both large national scholarships and smaller local ones, since the practice alone increases their success rate.
Families should create a culture of consistent scholarship preparation by keeping resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and application databases updated after milestones.

“Students with the strongest personal narrative won the most scholarships… the students whose parents were involved in the process also won more scholarships.” – Dave Peterson

About Dave Peterson:

Dave is a father who wanted to ensure his son would not be burdened by student loan debt. However, he realized he had not saved enough money for his son’s college education. So, he devised a plan for his son to earn scholarships. As a result, Dave’s son graduated from college without any debt, having earned approximately $100,000 in scholarships. They paid only $1,500 for their son’s entire college experience, including tuition, room, board, books, and fees. Dave now shares his knowledge about how to earn scholarships through his business, Scholarship GPS.

Episode References:

#128 Winning College Scholarships: Expert Tips with Dave The Scholarship Coach: https://www.flourishcoachingco.com/podcast/128-winning-college-scholarships-expert-tips-with-dave-the-scholarship-coach/
#161 Boost Your Teen’s Personal Narrative Before Applications with Dave Peterson: https://www.flourishcoachingco.com/podcast/161-boost-your-teens-personal-narrative-before-applications-with-dave-peterson/
#169 The Hidden Impact of College Major Selection on Admissions with Rick Clark: https://www.flourishcoachingco.com/podcast/169-the-hidden-impact-of-college-major-selection-on-admissions-with-rick-clark/
Learn about Dave’s Scholarship Course and get the FREE preview here: https://flourishcoachingco.com/scholarshipGPS
Download the detailed scholarship timeline organized by grade level: https://courses.flourishcoachingco.com/scholarship

Get Lisa’s Free on-demand video: How-to guide for your teen to choose the right major, college, & career…(without painting themselves into a corner, missing crucial deadlines, or risking choices you both regret).

flourishcoachingco.com/video