The following excerpt is from Winning Scholarships for College, Fifth Edition.
Throughout your journey on the road to winning scholarships you must be alert to any information that can be used to find scholarship dollars. For example, while listening to the radio, watching television, reading, or talking to people, you may become aware of new scholarship opportunities. Although some of the programs below are still available, some are not. I include them only as encouragement to keep your eyes and ears open for scholarship opportunities until you receive notification that you’ve received enough funds to pay for your entire education or you have your bachelor’s or graduate degree in your hands.
- As I was finishing the novel The Vow by Linda Lael Miller, I discovered a scholarship contest offered by the book’s publisher, Pocket Books, on the inside back cover. In this contest, three $5,000 scholarships were awarded. Applicants entered the contest by submitting a 500-word essay on the subject, “What Vow Have You Made to Further Your Education or Career.”
- In Ebony magazine, I read about a contest sponsored by the cable channel HBO titled, “HBO Remembers 4 Little Girls,” in which four grand-prize winners received $5,000 scholarships. HBO also awarded two $2,500 scholarships. Students who entered the contest were required to express their feelings about the 1963 Birmingham bombing and racial intolerance. For those who were aware of this contest, the odds were pretty good since there were only 4,100 entries.
- As I listened to satellite radio on a sports channel in the car, I learned about the Dr. Pepper Million-Dollar Scholarship giveaway. By the way, I never tune in to sports channels voluntarily. But my ears perked up when I heard the words, “scholarship giveaway.”
- While reading a magazine from the utility that supplies electricity to my house, I discovered the NOVEC scholarship program available to students in this service area.
- Through a search for another program on Facebook, I found numerous scholarship programs with Facebook pages that actually post information to help students prepare and win.
- As I was listening to a morning talk show, I learned of plans for the Gates Millennium Scholars Program, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This was a year before the scholarship program was introduced.
- I learned about the Staples for Students $50,000 scholarship giveaway just by shopping at Staples. As I entered the door to purchase the paper I needed, a huge sign promoted the $50,000 grand prize scholarship and a trip to Los Angeles to meet Katy Perry and receive the check. This year Jessica Alba is presenting the $50,000 Staples for Students scholarship check.
