John T. and Lois Schmidt Scholarship
Marion Community Foundation
Deadline: February 11.
To support U.S. military members, veterans, and their children/grandchildren who are pursuing postsecondary education. Qualifications: Applicants must be high school seniors or graduates; must have attended Marion County High School or a home school, eSchool, digital/online school, virtual academy, community school, or other state-recognized charter non-public school; must be residents of Marion County throughout entire high school experience; must be one of the following: a member of the US Armed Forces, an honorably discharged veteran of the US Armed Forces, a child or grandchild of a member of the US Armed Forces, or a child or grandchild of an honorably discharged veteran of the US Armed Forces; must have a 2.5+ high school GPA or a 2.5+ college GPA; must not be a relative of Lois Schmidt. Selection criteria: Special consideration is given to applicants from Elgin High School and to those who demonstrate financial need. How to apply: Application must be complete online and submitted along with all necessary documentation it includes: high school information: name of school, number of years attended, number in graduating class, GPA, class rank, percentile achieved on ACT or SAT tests, high school involvement in athletics, music, FFA, church, boy scouts, among other details; college or post-secondary plans: college or university attending, intended major or field of study, college GPA, college transcript; activities, service, work experience: list involvement in each of these areas; essays: field of study, career plan. motivation, passions, background; life-changing event; financial information: estimated yearly expenses (tuition, fees, books and supplies, room and board), resources available for college expenses (savings, earnings, parent/family contributions), FAFSA Student Aid Index (SAI); two personal recommendations: one from a teacher or academic advisor and one from a community member; for high school students, a guidance counselor recommendation is also required. Focus: General studies/Field of study not specified.