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Odenton women taking stress out of students’ college scholarship search
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Carla Morris, left, and Dana DeVance, right, are co-owners of Opportunity Knocks LLC, an educational finance consultation firm based in Odenton.
BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Dana DeVance learned first-hand about the challenges and pitfalls of searching for college money, so she started her own business designed to take the headache out of the scholarship hunt.
DeVance and her business partner Carla Morris own Opportunity Knocks LLC, an educational finance consultation firm based in the Odenton area.
DeVance said her inspiration for the business came from personal experience.
Her own family fell victim to a scholarship search company scam when she was applying for college.
Morris taught high-school English for about four years and found herself deluged every spring by seniors asking for help writing their college and scholarship essays, she said.
“I didn’t have a lot of help finding scholarship money,” DeVance said. “There just aren’t enough guidance counselors out there. They’re burnt out.”
For an annual fee, DeVance and Morris search for scholarships and financial aid packages that fit their clients’ situations, help them fill out up to five college applications and even offer tips on resume writing.
A complete scholarship search, financial aid application and college application package costs $600 for an entire academic year, while the scholarship search alone runs $400 per year.
Employment search services, resume writing help and interview training are offered on an a la carte basis, ranging in price from $50 to $500.
“Our niche is really the personalized service,” said Morris.
She, along with DeVance, makes one-time visits to clients’ homes to learn more about them as individuals, knowledge that can prove valuable in the scholarships search.
Students are required to give DeVance and Morris up to 10 copies of their transcripts, copies of their SAT scores, tax documents needed to apply for financial aid, a photo, three recommendation letters and a personal statement to round out the package.
The students are also required to write essays that may be required for college or scholarship applications.
But Opportunity Knocks takes care of the rest — filling out the forms, putting packets of information together, and even mailing completed applications.
DeVance said the hardest part of her first three years in business have been time management and the pressure to succeed.
“The best part is knowing that a student we helped won’t graduate with $50,000 in debt,” Morris said.
More details
» Opportunity Knocks LLC
410-672-0926
opportunityknocksllc.com
stracy@baltimoreexaminer.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
2:02 AM MST on Sun., Aug. 24, 2008 re: "Eastern Motors founder Bassam finds fortune with second-chance financing"
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Examiner Reader said:
I work for Eastern motors myself and he has friends that work for him that are fake back stabbers they shake your hand but talk behind your back at the same time. I dont know Robert in person but Iwould hope that he is not this way but his friends that work for him are above the law meaning they can get a person fired any time they want even if they are wrong in a situation but that drives away hard workers maybe Robert should not have friends in top positions it can be mis leading and really not fair right is right wrong is wrong no matter if its Roberts friends or not.
1 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
add to the list won,t pay his employees.he rude, he lies . he is a cheet and I know this because i worked for him. it seems like the rags.to riches store and it sounds good. but don,t be fooled
4 agree | 2 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
That guy Robert is a smart mofo. Everyone knows Eastern Motors and they are all over the place! Gotta love that jingle! Go Easterns!
11 agree | 10 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Conscientious observer - you are an idiot and deserve what happened to you.
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Examiner Reader said:
Are there flights out of MacArthur Airport on Long Island New York to Washington Dulles
124 agree | 107 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I understand that we should not choose a President based on his religious beliefs,but tell me---how can we support a President in defending our country when he doesn"t even believe in pledging allegiance to it!!!!?????
206 agree | 141 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The Dewalt system is good for notification but the alarm only sounds for 20 seconds and shuts off. The alarm is not loud at all if it were in the middle of a large job site nobody would hear it.
155 agree | 141 disagree
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Makis said:
Nice!
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Examiner Reader said:
I can't believe Fort Monmouth has a bunch of whinos have they ever heard of commuting on the Acela from New Jersey every morning my guess is no.
208 agree | 225 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Ed Hale is a real inspiration. He's the perfect model of the American dream. LL Detroit
333 agree | 289 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
fort monmouth should close down! it's a waste of tax payers money. (civilian employee's have 2 hour lunch breaks, there is so much infidelity going on there, sex in parking lot, etc) The come and go as they please, and we the tax payers pay for this. Put the money where it is needed, in defense!
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