How are you going to pay for college? ith the cost of a four-year degree nearing $100,000, today’s students are becoming increasingly innovative with their business strategies to earn college money. Recent recipients of the E-Squared competition held in Culpeper County included a team that infused mulch with mint to ward off pesky ants. Emily Ray and Taylor Yates of Eastern View High School each received a $5,000 scholarship for winning first place. They aren’t the only ones looking beyond more traditional jobs such as retail, to save for college. Here we profile four area students who are working hard and began early to make sure they would be able to finance their educations. We wish them luck with their future endeavors. They are off to a great start! Name: Michael Parrish City: Warrenton Age: 19 School: Lord Fairfax Community College Year: Sophomore How are you earning money for college? I’m earning money by selling albums featuring music written and performed by me. I also earn money from playing at gigs. What made you go this route rather than more traditional means to earn college money? It’s nice to make money working on my dream. I play drums, guitar, bass, and keyboards and sing on all of my recorded songs so I save a bunch of money by not having to hire session musicians (musicians hired to play in a studio recording). How do your friends/family motivate/encourage you? My friends and family have had my back since the beginning, and I couldn’t be more grateful. They support me both emotionally by coming to gigs and constantly being on the lookout for new material, and financially by buying albums and buying tickets to shows. What are your studying/planning to study when you are in school? I’m studying both music and business at Lord Fairfax Community College. W By Aimée O’Grady What are your future career plans? If all goes according to plan, I’d like to be successful enough at writing and performing music to do it for a living. That would truly be a dream come true. Where can we learn more about your current job? www.michaelparrishmusic.com and www.facebook.com/ michaelparrishmusic Name: Ben Willson City: Amissville Age: 17 School: Rising Senior in High School How are you earning money for college? I design and build chicken hutches for housing poultry that will be practical, effective, and aesthetically pleasing for my customers. I realized that this was something people needed, and that I could provide it for them. What made you go this route rather than more traditional means to earn college money? Having a “real” job, like retail, would be nice because of the consistent pay rate. However, it is very difficult to find jobs where you control the hours you work. Building and selling chicken hutches effectively makes me self-employed, allowing me to work on the hutches even with a busy school schedule. How do your friends/family motivate/encourage you? My family is very supportive. I think they were skeptical in the beginning as to whether or not it would pan out in the end. They were pleasantly surprised when the orders for more hutches started to pick up speed. What are your studying/planning to study when you are in school? I am open to a variety of options; however, I am most interested in business and the medical field. Paying for College continued on page 22 2013 • Issue 4 Piedmont Family Magazine 21