By Ruth Reeber
Copy Editor

Hypothetical Bob is back, and this time he’s received his acceptance letter from his first choice school! Unfortunately, he was a bit lazy and forgetful and didn’t apply for many scholarships, and won’t be getting much financial aid from the government.
What now? Well, Bob still has quite a few options, including work-study, co-op programs and military service.
The Federal Work-Study Program provides jobs for students with financial need. This pretty much means Bob is guaranteed a job with however many hours his award allows him.
On-campus work is usually done for the school, while off-campus work is generally for a nonprofit organization or for a public agency. This option lets Bob get valuable work experience—possibly in his career field—while he gets through school.
Schools with co-op programs provide a more intense form of work-study: students are required to participate in full-time work as part of the curriculum. For instance, Bob might have to work full-time for two semesters in order to graduate. The school would help him find a job (preferably one related to his major) and it would be an official part of his course of study.
However, it would be pretty difficult for Bob to pay for all of his college costs this way. An oft-overlooked or misrepresented way of getting through school is that of military service. Students who enlist in any of the branches of the US military (Army, Navy (and Marines), Air Force, Coast Guard) can receive up to $50,000 in return for one active duty tour. Students serving in the Reserves can get up to $24,000. If students cana participate in the Reserve Officers Training Corps, they could get their tuition paid for, and a monthly living salary; they would also have a minimum three-year commitment to serve as an officer in the military.
Also, the five military academies (Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force and Merchant Marine) are tuition free, but the entrance process is extremely difficult, and students have obligations after graduation.
Bob may not be interested in joining the military, and work may not be how he wants to get through college, but he should at least know all his options before he makes a decision. Student loans can pile up quickly, and debt is not a great way to start out in adult life. The more information Bob has, the better a decision he can make.

By Ashley Janus
Hawkeye Staff

Many students thrive with artistic talent at Terrace. From the percussion and rhythm that echoes from the music hall, to the array of performers in Renaissance, and the pencils and sketchbooks carried around by TAAS students, it gets difficult to pick just one out from the crowd. Fortunately, I need not look hard to find one.
Megan MacLean is a junior in TAAS and at 17 has an eye and hand firmly planted on a camera that in no way will be put down soon. Being put into digital photography class benefited her for then she thought it would.
“I saw it as a graduation requirement at first” McLean said. “But the more I got into it, I became better. I realized there was something more then just pressing a button, a lot more.”
Pencils were Megan’s main tool for a long time. “Ever since I was four I’ve been drawn to art. I used to draw all the time. Our fridge was covered with all the drawings and doodles I would do, my room still is. I guess that’s why photography was a fun switch. Instead of taking time to draw a moment or idea in my head; I can preserve a moment in history forever, with just the click of a button.”
After a few weeks into school, she decided that her knew knowledge and talent could be used somewhere else besides the classroom; she joined The Tempo.
She now goes to school functions, such as sporting events, theater, and Terrace Idol snapping photos of her classmates doing what they do best. “ I guess that’s what inspires me,” she recalls. “ I love taking pictures of people being natural, doing what they would normally do. Having people pose can get fun, but it gets old after awhile. Plus you can’t get any candid shots that way.”
Her favorite piece she has taken so far is one of a caterpillar, climbing up the stem of a pumpkin. “The colors of it are just really interesting and add something more to the photo” she explains.
Along with having the photos she’s taken for The Tempo in the yearbook this year; Megan is planning on entering her artwork in the Edmonds Art Festival, held in June.