Job Description: For many students the biggest obstacle to a higher education is money. The Gen and Kelly Tanabe Scholarship Program aims to help remove this obstacle by providing deserving students of all ages with scholarships that can be used to pay for college or graduate school. The first scholarship was awarded in 2001 and since then the scholarship program has been awarding money to help students pay for school.
The Gen and Kelly Tanabe Scholarship is a merit-based program which means financial need is not considered. The selection of the winner is made by an independent panel of judges and is based primarily on the quality of the submitted personal statement. Past academic performance (e.g. grades and standardized test scores) are not considered. The goal is to create a level field where students have complete control over their applications and are not given an advantage or disadvantage based on financial or academic circumstances.
The Scholarship Program is named after Gen and Kelly Tanabe who are the award-winning authors of eleven books on admission and scholarships. Together the Tanabes were accepted to all of the Ivy League colleges and won more than $100,000 in merit-based scholarships to graduate from Harvard debt-free.
If you are a high school student, start your scholarship search with your counselor. Ask if he or she has a list of scholarship opportunities. Most counselors keep a binder filled with local awards and scholarships, so make an appointment to discuss the ones for which you might qualify. Before your meeting, prepare information about your family’s financial background as well as special interests or talents you have that would make you eligible for certain awards. Don’t forget that your own high school will have a variety of scholarships from such places as the parent/teacher organization, alumni group and athletic booster clubs.
If you are a college student, make an appointment with your school’s financial aid officer. Before the appointment, think about what interests and talents you have and what field you may want to enter after graduation. Take a copy of your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) if you have one. Mention any special circumstances about your family’s financial situation and ask the financial aid officer for recommendations of scholarships offered by the college or by community organizations. Also, if you have already declared a major, check with the department’s administrative assistant or chair for any awards that you might be eligible to win.
Application Deadline 31July2010
Tags: 2010, Scholarship, Science, Technology, USA
