Laverne Mickens didn't set out to become The Scholarship College Mama. She was just a mom at the dinner table, watching college costs spiral, borrowing from retirement accounts, and wondering how she was going to send five kids to school without drowning in debt. So she built a system — a tracker, a research process, a way of finding and winning scholarships that most families don't even know exist. The result: $3 million+ in scholarships, five kids through college, and zero student loan catastrophe. Now she's built a business on that system. With nearly 500K followers across YouTube, Instagram, and Substack, Laverne has become the trusted voice for families who are caught in the middle-class squeeze: earning too much for need-based aid, but not enough to cover the actual bill. She runs her entire consulting practice over Zoom, which means a family in rural Georgia gets the same access as one in a major metro. That's the point. That's the whole business. In this conversation with Nayeema Raza, Laverne gets refreshingly real about: • What the "it factor" actually means in a scholarship application • How Laverne's system works: a scholarship tracker, an early start, and a sharp focus on authentic storytelling over stat-stacking • The wildest scholarships that exist and why quirky often wins • Why she runs her entire consulting practice over Zoom, and how that lets her reach families across the U.S. and around the world who'd otherwise never get this kind of guidance • Her #1 tip for students applying today: be authentic, find your story, and get yourself into the YES pile Filmed entirely on Zoom, this video is part of the Zoomterview intimate conversations with Zoom Solopreneur 50 honorees. Each episode, journalist and entrepreneur Nayeema Raza, host of "Smart Girls, Dumb Questions," sits down with an honoree to unpack the mindset, tools, and grit behind running a thriving solo operation. FAQ: How does The Scholarship College Mama actually help families find scholarships? Laverne teaches families to build a scholarship tracker, start early, and identify the student's "It factor" — the authentic story or niche interest that makes them stand out beyond their GPA. She then works with families one-on-one and in group sessions, all conducted over Zoom, helping students craft compelling applications that get them into the YES pile. Find out more about Solopreneur 50 and all 50 honorees → https://www.zoom.com/en/audiences/solopreneurs/ #ZoomSolopreneur50 #Zoomterviews #solopreneurlife #collegescholarships #ScholarshipMama #studentdebt #collegefunding #scholarshiptips #solopreneursuccess #womenentrepreneurs

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