Scholarships

Updated regularly

by Jane Butts

This website lists scholarship information that is received in the Olympia Guidance Office.  Listed below are the scholarships with upcoming deadlines in the near future.  Check back regularly for new listings.

It has become increasingly common practice to search for scholarships via the internet. Several such search engines are listed at the end of this article.  Students need to be aggressive and use these resources to search out available scholarships. 

ILLINOIS PTA, LILLIAN E. GLOVER SCHOLARSHIP

• Website:  www.illinoispta.org,  some apps available in Guidance Office
• Deadline:  2-17-2012
• Criteria:  upper 33% of class, planning to enter an Education or Education-related degree program
• Amount:  one $2,500 first place & one $1500 second place in each of Illinois’ 20 PTA districts

FRED S. BAILEY SCHOLARSHIP (YMCA OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS)

• Website: www.universityymca.org/bailey
• Deadline:  2-28-2012
• Criteria:  Students should have demonstrated impact of commitment to service, community involvement, leadership, and action as well as awareness and critical thought about the pressing issues facing the world today.  Financial need and academic achievement will also be considered.  Must plan to attend University of Illinois UC.
• Amount: $3,000, renewable each year

BUICK ACHIEVERS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

• Website: www.buickachievers.com
• Deadline: 2-29-2012
• Criteria:  Plan to attend a 4-year college or university; plan to major in science, technology, engineering, math, business administration, finance, marketing, or design; are interested in a career in the automotive or related industries; academic achievement; financial need;  participation and leadership in community and school activities, work experience, educational and career goals.  Special consideration will be given to the following applicants: first-generation college, female, minority, military veteran or a dependent of military personnel.
• Amount:  Nationwide…100 scholarships for up to $25,000/year; 1,000 scholarships at $2,000 a year, renewable for up to 4 years.

CHILDREN OF VETERANS TUITION WAIVER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

• Website:  www.osfa.illinois.edu
• Deadline:  3-1-2112
• Criteria:  Must be the child of a veteran from WWII, the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam Conflict, the Southwest Asia Conflict, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
• Amount:  Up to six 4-year tuition waivers are awarded per county—one for each of the wars/conflicts
• Any questions can be directed to The Office of Student Financial Aid at U. of I, Phone: 217-333-0100.

NATIONAL DEFENSE TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION (NDTA) SCHOLARSHIP

• Website:  www.ndtascottstlouis.org,
• Deadline:  3-1-2012
• Criteria: Preference given to students pursuing degrees in Business, Transportation Logistics and Physical Distribution, ACT scores, gpa, class rank
• Amount: Two 3,500 and four 2,000 scholarships given.  Two additional awards of 1500 given to community college or trade certification programs.  Scholarships for students in Illinois and Missouri.

ILLINOIS AMVETS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS 

• Website:  Brochures in Guidance Office.  www.ilamvets.org, click Programs for application and more information
• Deadline:  3-1-2012
• Criteria:  Categories include nursing, junior ROTC, trade school students, students who are the child or grandchild of a Veteran, or the child or grandchild of a deceased Veteran. 
• Amount: $3,000, non-renewable, several given state-wide

HEARTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS

• Heartland Community College offers numerous scholarships with differing criteria.  The scholarship application is now available and must be completed online by accessing their website at https://www.hccfoundation.org/scholarships.jsp.   Deadline for all HCC Foundation scholarships is March 1, 2012.
• Paper copies of the application are no longer available however, the scholarship guide is available in the Guidance Office.  The website provides scholarship descriptions, a demonstration of how to submit the online application and additional required materials that need to be submitted to the Foundation Office in order to successfully complete the scholarship application.  Students must have applied for admission to HCC before they can complete the scholarship application.
• Students who end the school year as valedictorian of the class automatically qualify for the Trustee Scholarship and will be awarded tuition and fees each semester.  These students also need to complete the online application.

LOGAN COUNTY AG SCHOLARSHIP

• Website: none, applications available in the Guidance Office
• Deadline: 3-2-2012
• Criteria: Must reside in Logan County with plans to study for a career in agricultural production or ag-related business; academic performance; financial need; activities; work experience; expectation to return to Logan County to pursue a career in Ag.
• Amount: several $1,000 scholarships awarded.

HOPEDALE MEDICAL FOUNDATION 

• Website:  none, applications available in Guidance Office
• Deadline:  3-2-2012
• Criteria:  Available to high school seniors and college freshmen.  Must plan to enroll next year in a 4-year healthcare or farming college curriculum or a 2-year nursing program.  Other considerations:  ACT, class rank, community & school extra-curricular activities, recommendations,
• Amount:  Two $2,000 healthcare Scholarships, one healthcare scholarship of $3,000, three healthcare scholarships of $1,000 each; one Family Farm Scholarship of $4,000 (students entering the ag field) and one $5,000 Founder’s Scholarship given in the area (any field of study related to healthcare)

LLINOIS RETIRED TEACHERS ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP

• Applications available in Guidance Office
• Deadline: 03-7-2012
• Criteria:  Must be accepted into a Teacher Certification Program; must have and maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA
• Amount:  $1,500

SCOTT EWING MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

• Website:  none, applications available in the Guidance Office
• Deadline:  3-15-2012
• Criteria:  3.0 G.P.A. or better; active member of any church in the Olympia district (e.g. S.S. teacher, youth group leader, music ministry, choir member, etc)
• Amount:  two $750 scholarships

TRIANGLE OF OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIP

• Applications available in Guidance Office
• Deadline: 3-15-2012
• Criteria: Civic and/or community service involvement; must write an essay
• Amount:  One student from one of the following districts will receive $500:  Dee-Mack, Eureka, Olympia, Tremont, Morton

SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS ILLINOIS SOCIETY

• Applications available in Guidance Office
• Deadline: 3-15-2012
• Criteria:  Must be a descendant of a male who served honorably in the Army, Navy, Jidicial, Executive, or Civil Service of the Confederate States of America.  Lineal or collateral family lines must be documented genealogically with a descendency chart
• Amount:  one $1,000 scholarship given in Illinois.

PRAIRIELAND COUGAR SCHOLARSHIP

• Website:  none, applications in Guidance Office
• Deadline:  3-30-2012
• Criteria:  Must have graduated from  Prairieland Elementary School; demonstration of high academic achievement, involvement in school and community activities; must submit an essay and letter of recommendation
• Amount:  Two $1,000 scholarships

THADDEUS STUBBLEFIELD TRUST SCHOLARSHIPS

• Website: none, applications in Guidance Office
• Deadline: flexible
• Criteria: Must live in the townships of Mount Hope, Dale, or Funks Grove with plans to attend ISU or Illinois Wesleyan University.
• Amount: Amount determined per semester hour taken.  See application for breakdown.

HEARTLAND COMMUNITY SCHOLARS

• Website:  none, applications available in the Guidance Office
• Deadline:  4-1-2011
• Criteria:  Highest consideration given to students with volunteer experience and/or involvement in community or school.  Grades and test scores also evaluated.
• Amount:  Waiver of all tuition and fees up to a maximum of 4 semesters of full-time enrollment and 2 supper sessions.  A $300 book allowance for 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th semesters.

BOB QUARELLO MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

• Website:  www.bobquarelloscholarship.com
• Deadline:  4-1-2012
• Criteria:  Must be a resident of Fulton, Mason, Peoria or Tazewell County planning to enroll in a law enforcement or related professional curriculum.
• Amount:  $500

Other Scholarships with February Deadlines:

Vegetarian Scholarship - $5000 vegetarian scholarships for encouraging a healthy vegetarian diet in your school or community.

Best Buy Scholarship - $1000 awards for over 1200 winners based on academic achievements, community services, school activities and work experience.

KFC Scholarship - Up to $20,000 over 4 years based upon financial need for entrepreneurial students who persevere. Must attend an in-state college or university.

Young Entrepreneurs Scholarship - $1000 - $5000 college scholarships awarded to multiple winners for outstanding 3-5 page essays based upon the book The Entrepreneur’s Game

Other Scholarships with March Deadlines:

SAMMY Scholar Athlete Milk Mustache - 25 awards of $7500 for the best high school athletes from grade 12. Teachers, coaches, and other adults may nominate students, or athletes can nominate themselves.

Spence Reese Scholarship - A $4000 Spence Reese scholarship is for boys only - high school seniors majoring in law, engineering, medicine or political science.

Kohl's Scholarship - Kohl's scholarships for high school seniors age 18 and under based upon outstanding community service during the last 12 months. National winners receive $9,000 plus an additional $1,000 donation to their favorite charity.

WHERE THE SCHOLARSHIPS ARE: COURTESY OF COLLEGE BOARD

Although most student aid comes in the form of federal education loans and grants from colleges, scholarships—with their lure of free money—get a huge amount of attention from students and their parents. If you and your child decide to invest your time in a search for scholarships, it's important to have an organized system to find, apply for, and win scholarship money.                                                                                                  Personal Inventory

Most of the information your child will need to fill out a scholarship search questionnaire will be easy to come up with—year in school, citizenship, state of residence, religion, ethnic background, disability, military status, employer, membership organizations, and so forth.  Beyond those questions, your child should give some thought to academic, extracurricular, and career plans. Your child should ask:

• Do I want to participate in a competition? If so, what are my talents and interests?
• What subject do I plan to major in?
• What career do I plan to pursue?
• Do I want to apply for all types of aid or only scholarships?

Answers to these questions will help determine scholarship eligibility. Your child should take time to brainstorm thoroughly—the more personal characteristics your child discovers, the more scholarships she could potentially apply for.

Research Local Scholarships First

In general, the smaller the area a scholarship covers, the better your child's chances of winning. Your child should start at the high school counselor's office. Counselors will know about scholarships for students graduating from the local high school. They may also be aware of scholarships for residents of your town, county, and state.

Your child's next stop should be the college aid section of your local public library or bookstore. Look at a range of books about financial aid, including scholarship guides such as the College Board's Scholarship Handbook.

Then, it's time to start looking at large national scholarships such as Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), National Merit, Gates Millennium, Siemens, Coca-Cola, and Robert Byrd.

Check Membership Organizations and Employers

Here's an area where you, as a parent, can really help out. Think of all of the organizations you have an affiliation with—religious, community service, fraternal, military, union, and professional—and find out if any of them sponsor scholarships for children of members.  Don't forget your employer. Many large companies offer scholarships or tuition reimbursement programs for dependent children of employees. Check with your human resources department to see if your company offers such programs.  Employers of students such as fast food chains, department stores, and supermarkets often provide scholarships. Awards related to student employment can come from unexpected sources. For example, there are a number of scholarships for golf caddies.

Use a Free Scholarship Search Service

A scholarship search company collects information on hundreds of awards and compares your child's student characteristics with scholarship restrictions. Based on answers to a questionnaire, your child will receive a list of possible scholarships. It is up to your child to decide which ones to try for.

Scholarship Scams

Obtaining a scholarship or grant should not cost you money, should not require you to attend a seminar, and can never be guaranteed. Also, be cautious if a program requests unusual personal information, such as a bank account, credit card or Social Security number. And if the source does not offer a phone number or street address, or if you’re leery about one's qualifications, it's probably not a good idea to use their services.  The Federal Trade Commission cautions students to look for tell tale lines:

• "The scholarship is guaranteed or your money back."
• "You can't get this information anywhere else."
• "I just need your credit card or bank account number to hold this scholarship."
• "We'll do all the work."
• "The scholarship will cost some money."
• "You've been selected by a 'national foundation' to receive a scholarship" or "You're a finalist" in a contest

WEBSITES

 These are just a few of the hundreds of sites that offer college information.  The ones listed are those that our students have had experience with in the past.

 fastweb.com—This site allows students to create a user profile.  Fastweb then sends student, via email, possible scholarship matches, as they occur. 

collegenet.com—Besides the huge database of scholarship opportunities, this site offers information on financial aid, allows one to do a college search and even has many online college applications.

mappingyourfuture.org—one stop site for students and parents with information on financial strategies, career options and career planning.

collegezone.com—the Illinois Student Assistance Commission sponsors this site.  In addition to the usual college/scholarship information, collegezone lists and describes scholarships sponsored by the state of Illinois.  It also has a parent component with invaluable information for parents.

fafsa.ed.gov—At this site parents and students can complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online.  This application must be completed for a student to qualify for federal financial aid.

2 more scholarship search tools to check out:

www.Mycollegeoptions.org and www.cappex.com

At http://www.college-financial-aid-advice.com/ students can find a wealth of information on financial aid, grants, scholarships, loans and much more.