If you're finishing up your junior year of high school, you've got an exciting, fun and stressful 12 months ahead of you. The next couple of months will provide some much-needed breathing room before that senior craziness ramps up, and that means they're also a good time to take a few moments and get ahead of your college scholarship search.

If you’re a student who plays a sport, you’ve probably imagined a few big moments in your career, like hitting a winning jump shot at the buzzer, serving an ace on match point in front of thousands of fans or making a highlight-reel save of a blazing slap shot. You’ve probably also envisioned the day when you open an envelope from your dream college and learn that your athletic skills have earned you a full-tuition scholarship for four years.

As a parent, you know how stressful and competitive the college search can be. Your son or daughter is almost certainly spending hours a night on homework and activities, keeping their academic performance up and building their college resume. Add in the time they (and you) spend researching schools and seeking out scholarships, and it can seem like there aren’t enough hours in the day.

We all know that a college degree makes a massive difference for students, their families and their futures. Those who graduate from college find steadier, better-paying jobs, and a degree is often the ticket out of poverty for low-income students. We also know that, each year, millions of students start their college education but never finish it—even though they’re aware of the huge benefits they’ll see when they graduate.