Thursday, January 7, 2009
It has been a while since we have had a Scholarship Announcement Thursday. But school is back in session (or will be next week), so it is time to get back to the routine! Today, I have three great scholarship opportunities, worth nearly $100,000! All have deadlines of later this
month — and two are due within the next few days (so hurry!). There is the McKelvey Foundation Scholarship for Young Entrepreneurs, the Gates Millennium Scholars Program, and Elks Club Most Valuable Student Competition.
Before you get started on your scholarship applications, you may want to check out the Financial Aid Finder’s articles about the scholarship application process and scholarship essay writing tips.
1. McKelvey Foundation Scholarship for Young Entrepreneurs
The McKelvey Foundation annually awards $40,000 scholarships ($10,000 per year for four years) to young entrepreneurs around the country who have started their own business. In addition to a $10,000 annual award, which can be used to attend any four-year college in the United States, scholarship winners also have the opportunity to network with other scholars and entrepreneurial leaders during a summer program called e-Venture. Applicants must be graduating seniors of a U.S. high school or home-school program and plan to attend an accredited four-year college or university in the United Stats. They have owned and operated their own for-profit or not-for-profit business for at least one year and have at least one paid employee. Applications can be completed online. Finalists will be notified and interview via the telephone. Applications are due by January 25, 2009.
2. The Gates Millennium Scholars Program (GMS)
Since 1999, the Gates Millennium Scholars Program has been promoting academic excellence and lifelong leadership among outstanding minority students with significant financial need. The goal of the program is to reduce financial barriers to higher education for African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American and Hispanic American students with outstanding academic and leadership promise. The program achieves this goal by offering its scholars renewable awards to cover the cost of their unmet educational needs, as well as access to mentoring services and an online resource center. Special emphasis is put on candidates with an interest in education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health and the sciences, all fields in which minority groups are particularly underrepresented. To learn more about the program or to apply online, visit the GMS website. The application deadline is January 12, 2009.
3. The Elks Club Most Valuable Student Competition
The National Elks Foundation annually awards 500 four-year scholarships to the highest-rated applicants in its 2009 Most Valuable Student competition. The competition, which judges scholarship, leadership and financial need, is open to any high school senior who is a citizen of the United States. Awards range from $15,000 per year for the first-place winner to $1,000 per year for the 482 runners up, and are made conditionally upon full-time enrollment in an accredited college or university in the United States. To learn more about the Most Valuable Student competition or to apply online, visit the Elks Club website. The application deadline is January 9, 2009 (so you don’t have time to waste!).
Good luck!
