PPP061: Paying Off Student Loans & Scholarships with Jocelyn Paonita

This week we welcome guest Jocelyn Paonita, one of the web's best experts in scholarships and paying for college and founder of The Scholarship System. With a big debate raging about how to pay for college and manage student loans, one of the best options is to just get someone else to pay for it. That's exactly what I did. Learn how in this week's episode.

What We’re Chatting About This Week

This week we kick off the show with a chat about my history with scholarships. I regularly share how I paid off my $40,000 MBA student loans in two years, but rarely talk about how I went to college on a full-ride scholarship. Thanks to the local Denver Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Denver real estate developer John Madden, and contributions from Wells Fargo and The University of Colorado Foundation, I received a scholarship worth $15,000 per year for four years. It was an incredible gift tied to my seven summers on staff at the Denver area Boy Scout camp.

While the scholarship I earned was limited to a specific number of camp staff per year, there are plenty of other scholarships available. Guest Jocelyn shares what she learned along the way as she paid for her education by stacking up smaller scholarships. I earned a few of these $500, $1,000, and other scholarships as well, which helped me cover things like rent and fraternity dues.

It ultimately comes down to systems and how you manage your time and scholarship application process. If you don't stay organized, you will end up paying a lot more than you have to for college!

This Week’s Sponsor

This week's episode is sponsored by me! Want to become a sponsor of this show? Reach the Personal Profitability Podcast audience on this fun weekly show. Contact me for more information.

This Week’s Guest

Jocelyn Paonita is founder of The Scholarship System. After paying for her entire college experience (including study abroad in Spain), Jocelyn started The Scholarship System to help others achieve the same success. After the college took out tuition and fees, Jocelyn got a fat check every semester to help cover additional expenses. Between smart budgeting, part-time jobs, and scholarships, Jocelyn left college with savings instead of piles of student debt. Through The Scholarship System, Jocelyn has helped studious savers earn nearly $750,000 in scholarships so far and looks forward to hitting the $1 million milestone.

Other Resources Mentioned

Founder of The Scholarship System, Jocelyn Paonita joins us this week to tell you and your kids how to pay for college without any student loans.

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Eric Rosenberg
Eric is the founder and editor of Personal Profitability. He left his corporate finance job in 2016 to take his online side hustle full-time and now earns a six-figure online income.
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