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    SENIOR SCHOLARSHIP NEWSLETTER
    (1st Edition 2009-10)

    • Attn. Seniors! Throughout the 2008-09 school year, the guidance staff will be providing you with newsletters which contain scholarship opportunities. After reading this bulletin, you can apply for all scholarships in which you are eligible. At the top of each newsletter, you will be instructed exactly how you can obtain an application for each specific scholarship. The different ways in which you may need to pursue an application are as follows:
      1) stopping-by the Guidance Office to receive a paper application;
      2) you may be able to download a hard copy of the application by accessing this newsletter thru our district website (www.esasd.net); or
      3) visiting the scholarship provider’s website to either download an application or to submit it electronically.
      Also, you can access each scholarship newsletter on-line at www.esasd.net. The link for each newsletter will appear on the district’s homepage under “Special Announcements”. The on-line newsletter may also provide students with the ability to access a scholarship’s application and print it from home by clicking on the scholarship’s name.
      Please be sure to follow all the instructions on the scholarship applications carefully. The Guidance Staff cannot be responsible for applications which are invalidated due to missing or incomplete information. It is also important to adhere to the deadlines listed on the scholarship newsletter not the deadlines listed on the scholarship applications. For most scholarships, the deadlines listed on the newsletter are in advance of the deadlines on the scholarship applications in order to allow for enough time for the guidance staff to process and mail all materials. Failing to adhere to a deadline on the scholarship newsletter will result in your application not receiving consideration. All completed applications must be returned to the Guidance Office unless otherwise specified in the newsletter.
      Many scholarship opportunities during the fall and winter will be national or state competitions. The majority of local scholarship competitions occur in the spring. The guidance staff strongly recommends that students use these newsletters as only one source in their search for financial aid. Students should still be contacting colleges regarding scholarship and grant opportunities, as well as applying for state and federal grants and becoming eligible for student loans through completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) after January 1, 2009. Students can also conduct their own independent scholarship search by searching scholarship websites on the internet. Two sites in which students can search for additional scholarships are www.educationplanner.com and www.collegeboard.com.

      Good luck in your pursuit of dollars for college!

  • Topic 3

    Hispanic Heritage Foundation and Colgate-Palmolive

    Eligibility:  Hispanic students who are college bound.

    Criteria:   - Students log on to www.colgate.com/hazlau as well as submit a   short essay of 500 words or less on the following topic:

     -How do you think education can impact the heritage of Hispanic generations to come?

    Award:   -Grand prize $10,000 educational grant

                   -15 students will receive $1,000 awards

    Deadline:  November 30, 2010 - Applications only submitted on-line

     

     

     

        

  • Topic 4

    ELKS National Foundation (ENF) “Legacy Awards”

    • Eligibility:  Any high school senior, who is a child or grandchild (not great grandchild) of an active Elk (member in good standing since April 1, 2006) or of an Elk who is a charter member of a Lodge that was instituted on or after April 1, 2006. Applicants must also have taken the SAT or ACT by Dec. 31, 2009.   Applications available at http://elks.org/enf/scholars/legacy.cfm.

       

      Criteria:  Awards are based on scholarship (academic achievement), leadership, and responses to short essay questions, honors/awards, & activities (e.g. service and employment)

       

      Award:  Maximum of 500, four year, $4,000 scholarships

       

      Deadline:  January 8, 2010 - submit application on-line

  • Topic 5

    Ron Brown Scholar Program

    Eligibility:  African-American high school senior, who is a US citizen (or have permanent resident visa cards), and planning to pursue a four year college or university.  Applications available in Guidance office or can be downloaded at http://www.ronbrown.org.

     

    Criteria:  -    Academic excellence

                   -    Exhibit leadership ability

                   -    Participate in community service activities

                   -    Demonstrate financial need

                   -     Honors & Awards

                   -     Extracurricular activities (school activities, community service, &/or employment)

    -     Essays

    -     2 letters of recommendation

    Award:  $40,000 scholarships ($10,000 per college year)

     

    Priority Deadline (refer to application for details & benefits on the earlier deadline):  November 1, 2009 – must be post marked and mailed by the student.

     

    Regular Deadline:  December 14, 2009 – Return to the Guidance Office

     

  • Topic 8

    Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS)

    • The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS), funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was established in 1999 to provide outstanding African Americans, American Indian/Alaska Natives, Asian Pacific Islander Americans, and Hispanic American students with an opportunity to complete an undergraduate college education.  The goal of GMS is to promote academic excellence and to provide an opportunity for thousands of outstanding students with significant financial need to reach their fullest potential.

       

      GMS strongly urges students as well as nominators and recommenders to complete the application online at www.gmsp.org.  Filing the form online will speed the processing of your application and the web-based application has features to assist you in filling out the forms correctly.  It is recommended that you write a draft of all your answers on paper before completing the form online and electronically submitting.

      Paper applications may be requested from the Guidance Office; however, GMS is recommending using the website (www.gmsp.org).  Before you can receive a paper application from Guidance, a guidance counselor will verify that you meet all the eligibility criteria listed below.  This is an extremely lengthy application and we recommend that you start on it ASAP and follow all directions carefully.

       

      Eligibility: Students must meet all the criteria listed below to be eligible to apply.

       

      -         Graduating senior and US citizen/legal resident

      -         Ethnicity:  African Americans, American Indian/Alaska Natives, Asian Pacific Islander Americans, and Hispanic American students

      -         Enrolling in an accredited college or university as a full-time student for Fall 2010

      -         Possess a 3.3 G.P.A. (4.0 scale-non-weighted)

      -         Have demonstrated leadership abilities through participation in community service, extracurricular activities, or other activities.

      -         Have significant financial need (i.e. meet the Federal Pell grant eligibility criteria*)

       

      *GMS candidates must have a federal Pell Grant as part of their 2010-2011 financial aid package in order to become a GMS scholar.  Eligibility for a Pell Grant can only be officially determined through the completion and submission of a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  Thus, GMS nominees are urged to submit their FAFSA early (FAFSA’s can not be submitted until after January 1, 2010).  Since the official determination of Pell grants will not occur until after the GMS application deadline, students are encouraged to still apply if they meet all other criteria listed above and feel that they exhibit significant financial need.

       

      -       Students must secure an educator (e.g. principal, guidance counselor, or teacher) to nominate them for the GMS scholarship.  All nominators must be familiar with the student’s academic performance and complete the nominator section of the GMS application.

       

      -       Students must also secure a recommender.  Recommenders can be work supervisors, community group leaders, or any other adult who is very familiar with the student’s community service and leadership activities.  A recommender cannot be related to the student.  The recommender must also complete a section of the GMS application.

       

      Awards:  GMS recipients will receive funds in an amount to be allocated by GMS based on the student’s financial need.

       

       

      Deadline for Electronic Applications :  January 11, 2010

      Students submitting an electronic application are encouraged to have their nominator thoroughly review their application well in advance of the deadline before submitting.

       

      Deadline for Paper Applications:  January 11, 2010 – applications must be postmarked on or before this date.

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