As the new year has rung in, many students are now looking at scholarships ahead of graduation.

Those can be a big help when it comes to post-secondary life, with scholarships from a multitude of sources.

With all of those options and all of the requirements that come with them, it can be difficult for students to know what to apply for.

Career counselor with the Estevan Comprehensive School Stacy Dutka explains that students should consider all of the options they have in front of them.

"I guess I would tell them to look at multiple different options. Of course, we have our ECs scholarship options which are generously donated by the different individuals, organizations, and service groups in our area. But that's only one set of scholarships. There are many independent scholarships available online, as well as many offers probably through the school that they will be attending."

The requirements for scholarships should also be on students' minds, as those can require a certain GPA level.

Some scholarships will also require a reference letter, which is best asked for sooner rather than later.

"If it's a reference letter, do they want it through the school staff member," said Dutka, "Or do they want one from the school and one from the community and making sure they give those people enough time to write a good letter. No one likes getting the two-day notice, 'I need a reference letter by Friday,' and it's Wednesday afternoon."

The amount of variety offered by those scholarships is also stellar in Estevan, according to Dutka.

"We're very lucky, our grade 12 students have a lot of support for different awards and scholarships in all areas. Whether it be someone entering a career in the health field, or whether it's someone entering the trades, engineering, the business world, accounting, or finance, we have a really wide cross-section of scholarships."