The POSSE Foundation Inc.

Today I will be writing about a youth leadership development program called The Posse Foundation. To become a Posse Scholar, you would have to be nominated by your high school.

I believe that schools need to play larger roles in creating paths for students. Many schools have Career Centers but how often do students visit them? Also, students do not know about programs like these because no one tells them.  Just shoot a quick text or an email!

Okay, so more about Posse.

Here are the 3 main goals I got from their site:

1. To expand the pool from which top colleges and universities can recruit outstanding young leaders from diverse backgrounds.
2. To help these institutions build more interactive campus environments so that they can be more welcoming for people from all backgrounds.
3. To ensure that Posse Scholars persist in their academic studies and graduate so they can take on leadership positions in the workforce.

If you become a Posse Scholar, you can get awarded a four-year full time leadership scholarship. How amazing is that!

The program is split into 5 parts. Read more about them on their site: http://www.possefoundation.org/about-posse/program-components.

For those already out of high school, pass this information down. If you can, maybe even send an email to your high school to check this org out and start nominating qualified students.

Thanks for reading!

JRF: Jackie Robinson Foundation

Hey Everyone,

Today I am unlocking a new door. Introducing… THE JACKIE ROBINSON FOUNDATION. Here is the mission statement I found online:

The Jackie Robinson Foundation (JRF) is a national, not–for–profit, organization founded in 1973 as a vehicle to perpetuate the memory of Jackie Robinson through the advancement of higher education among underserved populations. Uniquely, JRF provides generous four–year college scholarships in conjunction with a comprehensive set of skills and opportunities to disadvantaged students of color to ensure their success in college and to develop their leadership potential. 

To know more about the program description and if you are eligible to apply, follow this link: http://www.jackierobinson.org/about/programs.php

The application will be open for review October 15th but it will officially go live November 1st. Make sure you mark this on your calendar.

The scholarship amount is $24,000 which is split it during the 4 years of college. Thus, $6,000 each year. This can truly make an impact on one’s future. make sure to apply!

The Point Foundation

One more post for today.

The Point Foundation is a Scholarship Fund for those who identify with the LGBTQ community. Here is a mission statement I found on their site: Point Foundation empowers promising lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender, and queer students to achieve their full academic and leadership potential – despite the obstacles often put before them – to make a significant impact on society.

This foundation seeks the help of partners, philanthropic organizations and corporations to provide financial support, professional guidance and a network of support for the Point Scholars.

For more information about the foundation and the eligibility to join, visit: http://www.pointfoundation.org/eligibility

I am also attaching the Outreach Flyer here: http://www.pointfoundation.org/document.doc?id=242

Applications Open November 1st!!!!

One of the Largest Obstacles of All: Money

Hey Everyone,

I just finished reading a post from a fellow blogger. It was so inspiring that I had to switch things up a bit and post a scholarship website. I remember talking to my parents about going to college in the East Coast but they did not want me to. It was not that they were trying to limit me, it was the money that was limiting them. They had 3 other kids to worry about and it would be selfish of me to swamp them with loans when I could get an amazing education elsewhere.

I went to my career center during my senior year of high school and I spent most of my lunches organizing piles of scholarships. I found 10+ scholarships that I had to write essays for. At first, I was worried. I had so much schoolwork and my extracurriculars to worry about. I then realized that if I wrote one great essay, I then could re-use it for the other essays. They basically were the same prompt anyways.

After a grueling senior year, I was granted with 8 of those 10+ scholarships. I remember being invited to ceremonies to accept my awards. It was amazing. With some financial aid, and the help of my scholarships, I paid for my first year of college completely! This also gave my parents some time to save up for the other years.

I stopped applying to scholarships which I regret. They are not hard, they are time-consuming. Imagine if I kept writing. I could have paid for college all by myself. So get writing, and apply to EVERY and ANY scholarship you are eligible for.

The site I found was, FASTWEB. Check out the site at http://www.fastweb.com/college-scholarships

I personally have not used this site, but it seems legitimate and it has so many opportunities available. My advice is to make a scholarship binder. Print out each application and use dividers to section out the different deadlines. Start from there. Later on, you could pass down the binder full of opportunities & see if the application is open again. The next person would have an amazing resource in front of them.

Good luck to you all and happy Sunday! Do not let money be another obstacle to worry about.

The Fulbright Programs

Hey Everyone,

I found about this opportunity this year and they are accepting applications. Act fast because the deadline is October 15th 2013! Here is the description I found on their website: Fulbrighters will meet, work, live with and learn from the people of the host country, sharing daily experiences.  The program facilitates cultural exchange through direct interaction on an individual basis in the classroom, field, home, and in routine tasks, allowing the grantee to gain an appreciation of others’ viewpoints and beliefs, the way they do things, and the way they think. Through engagement in the community, the individual will interact with their hosts on a one-to-one basis in an atmosphere of openness, academic integrity, and intellectual freedom, thereby promoting mutual understanding.

They have different types of grants to apply for. To check these out, visit http://us.fulbrightonline.org/types-of-grants

My friend received a Business Fulbright which includes a full ride scholarship to study in Mexico City and work for an amazing Consulting company. The Fulbright program has multiple opportunities for U.S. students & Non-U.S. students.

Check out http://www.iie.org/Fulbright to see the other programs.

I hope all of this helps! If I can make an impact on one person, and they can make an impact on another person, who knows how many doors we can open!

QuestBridge Success

QuestBridge Success

Click the link above to read a great article that QuestBridge posted on their Facebook page. It features a hardworking student who was deserving of this scholarship. Congrats Qunsia Daniel!

Seniors! Hidden-Gem Right Here

I actually found this opportunity by myself my senior year. Not even my counselors at my high school knew about it. I felt proud to be the first person to apply from my high school & also provide my experience to them that way they could get more students in the following years. I was their “experiment.” This program is called QuestBridge and the application is under the 2013 National College Match Application. It is a rigorous application process but so worth it. This is another chance at a full-ride. Check it out at http://www.questbridge.org/about-questbridge/national-college-match

If you are eligible and interested in going to a top-notch college, the golden door is open!

High School, Come on in!

Do you know who Bill Gates is? Who doesn’t right? Presenting, THE GATES MILLENNIUM SCHOLARS PROGRAM. I would have loved to know about this amazing opportunity. The application has just opened and is due in January, but get working on it now! You may need a letter of recommendation. To see if you are eligible, go to http://www.gmsp.org/

If you get to be scholar, you will receive a “good-through-graduation” scholarship. So how does a full-ride sound?