For those who don’t know where to start looking for scholarships, do not fret: the MRHS Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) and Boosters Club have everyone’s back. Both organizations are currently presenting scholarship opportunities for seniors at MRHS, demonstrating their understanding of how helpful scholarships can be.
“Scholarships are always really great opportunities to partake in. Even if you don’t think you’ll get it, you might as well try. It may or may not be a significant amount of money, but any experience is going to help you in the long run. This is because you build up important abilities like interview skills and writing skills, which are crucial in societal life,” said senior Mia Johnsonbaugh.
Starting with the earliest due date, the MRHS Boosters Club is offering the “Making a Difference at Marriotts Ridge High School” scholarship and will stop accepting applications after Friday, March 4th. Designed for the Boosters Club members, the scholarship consists of two awards, both of which will be $2000 for the winners’ investments in their higher education.
“The Senior Scholarship is awarded to a MRHS Booster Club member who strives for excellence and has ‘Made a Difference at Marriotts Ridge’ through a positive contribution to a school club, sports team, or organization funded by the MRHS Boosters Club,” said the club’s Executive Vice President Scarlett Goon. “The personal statement [required in the application] should reflect how you have shared your time and talent as a member of a school club, sport, or organization supported by MRHS Boosters Club. The statement does not have to be in the form of an essay, but rather, can also be in the form of a poem, powerpoint presentation (printed slides), video, poster, song, etc. The statement should share how you have made a difference or contribution to the groups, and how it has enhanced your high school experience.”
Along with the personal statement, applicants are required to submit a personal resume and a letter of recommendation from a non-family member. One’s GPA must also be above 2.5, and oneself or a family member must be a part of the Boosters Club. Any other subsequent information can be found on the Boosters Club website, and queries can be sent to the email address listed as [email protected].
With similar criteria is the PTSA Senior Scholarship, which is due on Friday, April 8 by 10 pm. Six winners will be selected, and each will be awarded with $1,000. Applicants will need to submit the official application form and a personal essay without their names (rather, they must use their assigned number to make the selection process more impartial). To make this scholarship more accessible, the PTSA made some changes to the requirements for admission this year.
“Applicants must have at least one family member as a PTSA member, opposed to requiring the student to be a member themself like in previous years. The GPA requirement was also reduced from 2.5 to 2.0 unweighted. In addition, we removed the requirement for students to use the scholarship money for a higher education. Finally, we will also be including a rubric that will be used for evaluating the essays,” said PTSA First Vice President Amy Gruznik. “Last year, we had 25 applicants. We’re hoping that with the additional changes, more students will feel more comfortable applying.”
News of this scholarship was sent through the MRHS Student Community Course in Canvas, where Mrs. Rashid sent out an announcement with the application form and essay requirements. Even for those that aren’t involved with the PTSA, the scholarship and ones similar to it are some things to consider for the future.
“My mom is actually in the PTSA, so she told me to pay some attention to the scholarship and to apply. Besides that one, I’ve also applied to some scholarships— so far I’ve done the Jefferson Scholarship from the University of Virginia and others that I can’t quite put names on. Overall, the process of applying has been pretty pleasant; I’ve learned a lot, and so I’m planning on applying to a lot more in the near future,” said Johnsonbaugh.
Whether it’s a scholarship in the local community or one offered from a private organization, engaging with scholarship opportunities is an experience often beneficial and unforgettable. Search for them, pay attention to them, participate in them: scholarships are hidden treasures just waiting to be found.