“Together We Are the Future, Juntos Somos el Futuro”, this is the slogon for the Hispanic Business Council Scholarship Foundation of New Jersey, Inc.
There is so much truth to that statement and if you are Hispanic, and you live in New Jersey, you have a rare opportunity to score a substantial scholarship for their foundation. From what is posted on their site, previous scholarship award recipients recieved anything from $1,000-$4,000 to go towards tuition or college textbooks. Recipients may have to attend their annual Gala, but if the event is hosted pratically in your honor and you are receiving thousands of dollars, show up where they want you to show up.
First here are some basic requirements for the 2011 Scholarship:
1. Hispanic students must apply by February 28, 2011.
2. You must fill out a profile and agreement form.
3. You must complete an essay containing 250 words. In MS Word, 250 words is close to half a page if you do it double-spaced, so this shouldn’t take you very long. However you want to put some thought into it this essay as you do all essays that you write, consider it your one minute elevator speech to a top-level executive as to why he should open up his/her wallet and give you money.
4. Transcripts – This one is a no-brainer, but if you don’t have one yet, it’s a good idea to go to your school administrator’s office and request several copies of your academic transcripts, you will need these when you fill out other scholarship applications. (Hint: apply for more than one scholarship as many students do not win this all)
5. Letter of recommendation – Again this is standard and you should have several people within your circle of influence that can write a letter on your behalf. Give them ample time so they too can write a descriptive recommendation.
6. Tax Returns – If your parents are late on completed their taxes, now is a good time to push them to catch up. Some scholarships will be presented based on the amount of money that your parents earned the previous year. This is also needed if you are filling out your FAFSA, which you have to if you expect to receive any federal grants.
This is what I can take away just from going over the scholarship application. There is still time, remember applying for Hispanic Scholarships, this money is like having a part-time job, if you don’t do it now, you’ll have to pay for it later if you take out students loans. Why not get ahead of the competition and apply as soon as you can.
To download the application and learn more about HBCSF, visit their website at http://www.hbcsf.org/.