Scholarship Information

APPLYING FOR SCHOLARSHIPS:

Scholarships are available to students who challenge and prove themselves throughout high school. Scholarships have different requirements and criteria for selection including: grade point average, ACT/SAT score, or financial need. They may also award students based on their background, talents or community service. When applying for scholarships, read the requirements of each application carefully and complete each application as specified. Apply to all scholarships you feel you may qualify for.

1) Request at least three letters of recommendation - one personal and two academic recommendations. You can ask your teachers, counselors, employers, pastors, coaches, community service coordinator or someone where you may have volunteered. If it is appropriate for you to ask a family member to write a letter of recommendation for you, this should be indicated on the scholarship application.
Points to be covered in a personal recommendation:

• Your life goals
• Personal qualities
• Reliability
• Ability to set goals
• Planning skills
• Special skills
• Community service
• Relevant family circumstances

Points to be covered in the academic
recommendation:

• Success in academics
• Academic awards
• Good attendance
• Classroom participation
• Community service
• Quality of work
• Planning skills
• Academic goals

2) Prepare a personal essay or statement. Many scholarship applications will require an essay. Make sure you address the issues that the application asks. If there are no guidelines for the essay, you can write about your career goals, interests, why you would like to receive this particular scholarship, and how you plan to use your college education.
*Have at least two people edit your essay. *Proofread your essay.
Submit your application before the deadline. Many students lose their opportunity for scholarships because they don't submit their application by the deadline. Submit a complete application. If you submit an incomplete application, it may not be considered.

Many scholarships are now available on the internet. We recommend that you do not pay for a scholarship service as there are many free ones available. Some of the more widely used websites are:

www.finaid.org
www.scholaraid.com
www.hbcumentor.org
www.laef.org
www.coloradomentor.org
www.fastweb.com

*** Many of these websites are free because they may sell your personal information to their marketing partners. We recommend that you do not release your personal information to them when asked or prompted on their website.

Below are many types of scholarships you may also consider.

• CESDA Diversity Scholarship in honor of Gilbert Martinez Scholarship Application (.pdf Document)
• Alpha Kappa Alpha Scholarships - Go to: www.akaeaf.org/scholarshipprogram.html. Note that there are over 700 AKA Chapters, and you would be wise to contact sororities at local locations. The deadline at AKA headquarters is Feb. 15. Applications (at the website) must be sent between Dec. 1st and January 30th each year.
• American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) - Go to: www.aises.org. AISES offers numerous scholarship for talented native students who want to major in a technical discipline.
• Arts Recognition And Talent Search Awards - Go to: www.artsawards.org These awards are granted to high school or college students (17, 18 years of age) who show talent in dance, voice, music, art, photography, jazz, visual arts, writing, or other creative areas. You must audition or submit a portfolio or tape. The award is to be used for freshman year in college. Award amounts from $100 to $3,000. Deadline is June 1 or April 1 (for registration in specific regions).
• Coca-Cola Scholars Scholarships - Go to: www.coca-colascholars.org/
  This is a major competition with over 250 awards going to students with academic, leadership, and talent qualities. The award amount is from $4,000 to $20,000. The deadline is October 31.
  
• Gates Millennium Scholarships - Go to: https://www.gmsp.org/SOW4/
  The Gates Millennium Scholarship is to promote academic excellence and to provide an opportunity for thousands of outstanding students with significant financial need. The scholarship will cover room, board and tuition for at least 1,000 high school students a year. Nomination material for 2002-2003 will be available November 2001. Go to website for details! Deadline: March 15.
• Governor's Opportunity Scholarship (GOS) is open to any resident of the state of Colorado who is a US citizen or Permanent Resident. Student must have financial need and be a first time, full-time, degree seeking freshman college student. https://www.state.co.us/cche/policy/finaid/gos.pdf.
• Hispanic College Fund Scholarships - Go to: www.hispanicfund.org/hcf-scholar.html. For Hispanic students majoring in a variety of business-related areas, A to Z (accounting, human resources, communications, and more). The award amount varies. Over 140 awards granted. Deadline: April.
• Hispanic Scholarship Program awards are available in the amount of $1,000 to $3,000 to undergraduate and graduate students who meet the following eligibility requirements: 1) are of Hispanic background (one parent must be fully Hispanic or both parents must be half Hispanic), 2) are a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident (with resident card), 3) have a minimum GPA of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale and 4) are currently attending an accredited U.S. college full-time for the full academic year. The application postmark deadline is in October. Awards are distributed in the Spring. Applications are available in August. Go to: www.hsf.net
• Intel Science Talent Search - Go to: www.sciserv.org/sts. The award is from $5,000 to $100,000. There are approx. 40 awards in this prestigious competition. You must present a scientific research project. Deadline: December.
• Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship - Go to: www.JackieRobinson.org. The award: $6,000 per year. Number of winners approx. 100. Renewable. Academic merit, leadership, community service, all fields. Deadline is April of each year.
• Kodak Scholarships - Go to: www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/programs/student/scholarships.html
  The award: varying amounts to $5,000. Number of awards: Varies. For those studying in film/cinematography at U.S. colleges.
• Latin American Educational Foundation - Go to: www.laef.org. 100-150+ scholarships awarded annually to individuals of Hispanic decent or serving/volunteering in a Hispanic community. Deadline February 1st of each year.
• The Micron Technology Foundation accepts applications for scholarships ranging from $15,000 to $50,000 for high school seniors from Idaho, Utah, Colorado, and Texas. The foundation will grant as many as 11 scholarships worth $200,000. At least two scholarships will be granted for students from each of the four states. High school seniors can apply for the program via their high school counselor or the Internet, at www.micron.com/scholars. Scholarships are limited to students planning to pursue the following majors: electrical engineering, computer engineering, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, material science, physics or chemistry.
• NCAA Scholarships - (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Go to: www.ncaa.com other materials that point to talent and achievement in all areas. The awards are for a minimum of one year, and over 100 are granted. Applications can be submitted at any time.
• NSBE Scholarships - (National Society of Black Engineers). Go to: www.nsbe.org/scholarships. Award amount: Generally range from $1,500 to $3,000 for members of NSBE. Number of awards varies. This is primarily for engineering students, and others majoring in related disciplines. Deadlines vary. Details at website.
• Project Excellence Scholarships - Go to: www.project-excellence.com.
  The award: $4,000 or higher (to full tuition). Number of winners: at least 600. Academic merit, leadership, community service, all fields. Deadline: Feb. 1.
  Ron Brown Scholarships - Go to: www.RonBrown.org. Awarded for Leadership, community service, all fields. The deadline is usually in January.
• Society of Women Engineers Scholarships - Go to: www.swe.org
  These scholarships are targeted for women who are majoring in engineering or computer science. Award amount are from $200 to $5,000, and at least 90 are granted. The deadline for students already in college is February 1st but is May 15 for high school seniors entering an accredited program.
  
• United Negro College Fund Scholarships - Go to: www.uncf.org. UNCF is one of the major scholarship gateways. The awards are of varying amounts, and there are a great many under different names and requirements (Grandmet, Duracell, for example). The deadline is in December.
• Xerox Technology Minority Scholarship - Go to: www.xerox.com and type in "Scholarship"in the search engine. This is a good scholarship for strong minority scholarships for students studying in areas like chemistry, engineering, physics and other technical areas. The award amount is up to $4,000 for undergraduates and more for graduate students. The deadline is Sept. 15.