Categories
Stories

Supporting a First-Generation College Student

Son of Dan’s Prize Plant Manager Credits Hormel Inspired Pathways Scholarship with Career Jumpstart

Categories
Stories

Accepting Help and Giving Back

Inspired Pathways scholarship recipients Dat and Tien Dang reflect on college, gratitude and the impact Hormel Foods has had on their lives.

Categories
Stories

A Force for Good

A Hormel Foods Inspired Pathways Scholarship recipient feels destined to enter law enforcement.

Categories
Stories

Engineering a Career

The Hormel Foods Inspired Pathways program helps an Illinois student avoid debt on her way to an engineering degree.

Categories
Stories

Nursing Superpower

The Hormel Foods Inspired Pathways program helps a Montevideo teen pursue his childhood dream of becoming a nurse.

Categories
Stories

Providing More Than Scholarships

Financial aid counseling and other assistance from Hormel Inspired Pathways helped Addison Hoermann make the jump to her chosen four-year college.

Categories
Stories

Inspired Pathways Helps Make College Possible

This past May, 20-year-old Janeth Hermosillo proudly strode across a stage in the gymnasium of Illinois Valley Community College to receive her diploma after completing an associate’s degree in medical lab science. Just moments before, the college president handed her smiling 19-year-old brother, Alejandro, his diploma for an associate’s degree in art.

Categories
Stories

An Inspired Partnership

Hormel Inspired Pathways partners with Tidewater Community College to support educating the children of Hormel Foods team members.

Categories
Articles

A Virtual Visit to Jennie-O Turkey Store: Barron, WI 

Over the course of two days in February and May, the Hormel Inspired Pathways program team hosted a series of eight instructional sessions with 100 employees at the Jennie-O facility in Barron, Wisconsin before and after their shifts. The goal of the virtual visits: help employees utilize the company’s Inspired Pathways Scholarship and Advising Program, and better understand the ins and outs of college applications and financial aid.

Some of the topics the Inspired Pathways team covered: 

  • Community college scholarship details
  • Navigating FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
  • Wisconsin-specific financial aid questions
  • The difference between a college’s “sticker price” and final costs
  • The many ways families can utilize the Pathways program to help their student get into and afford 4-year colleges.

If you would like to arrange a virtual visit for your facility, reach out to advising@hormelinspiredpathways.com or call/text 507-481-0142. 

Categories
Articles

Demonstrated Interest

With students able to easily apply to 15-20 schools at a time, demonstrated interest has become a key tool for colleges to gauge applicant engagement.

Effective ways to demonstrate interest:

  • Attend virtual events or in-person tours.
  • Attend information sessions, either remotely or in person, especially those tied to specific majors.
  • Email admissions reps with thoughtful questions about your fit and interests.

At public universities, these touchpoints help admissions officers differentiate among similarly qualified students and can essentially serve as a tie-breaker. At private colleges, interest can have a much bigger impact on being admitted. For private schools it is critical to admit the exact number of students they need, and students who make their interest clear help that process.

Bottom line: It never hurts to reach out and to demonstrate your interest in a college. To have the most positive impact, make sure you’re doing so in a way that allows your potential future college to track it. Events you have to register for are best, and even things like opening their emails can help.