Beyond the Bell

How to Help Fund College Part 2: An Interview with Scholarship America

Evelyn Lauer Season 6 Episode 2

Host Evelyn Lauer interviews Jacquelyn Bengfort, a program marketing specialist for Scholarship America, a nonprofit founded in 1958 and the nation's largest scholarship administrator. If you are a school counselor and you are interested in receiving a newsletter with updates on scholarships, you can sign up here

Prior to joining Scholarship America, Bengfort worked as a creative writing instructor at the University of Iowa, a freelance writer and marketing consultant, and a naval officer. She has received scholarships and fellowships from the Rhodes Trust, the Truman Foundation, the Rona Jaffe Foundation, and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

Beyond the Bell is a college-and-career counseling podcast designed to provide students with tools and tips to look beyond the bell of their high schools into their futures (be it, college, careers, trade schools, or gap years) where bells do not exist. Beyond the Bell is hosted by Lauer, who has worked in education for nearly 25 years, serving primarily as a high school English teacher, but also assuming roles as an instructional coach, college writing instructor, workshop leader, and journalism/media advisor. Lauer is also currently a graduate student at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago where she is studying school counseling. She is a mother to two sons, who are in 10th and 7th grade. She also serves on the board of Friends of Amundsen High School. Topics discussed include: college admissions, college essays, gap years, and finding one’s passions and future careers