We’ve written about scholarships before, and mentioned some school-specific examples. In this article we’re going to expand on a point we’ve made before; that you can find scholarships tailored for students of every background, and for every interest.
We’ll discuss two scholarships offered to Houston-based students, one targeting students from any Asian background, and one specifically offered to students of Chinese heritage. We’ll cover what these scholarships are, who qualifies for them, and how you can apply. Let’s jump in!
Gee Family Association Education Fund
The GFAEF was established in 1998 to support the education of students in the Asian-American community of Houston, and to give these students the opportunity to excel past high school. The foundation awards scholarships to students of Asian descent in the Houston area. The number and amount of scholarships vary from year to year. Students must be graduating seniors or otherwise pursuing education to apply and must reside primarily in the greater Houston area. They further look for students who are dedicated to serving their community, and who have a record of doing so.
The scholarship committee considers the following factors when awarding the scholarship:
- The student’s academic achievement. This includes both grades and test scores, along with your overall GPA and class rank.
- Leadership and devotion to community service. This should be shown through your extracurricular involvement and achievement.
- How the applicant will benefit. The scholarship fund wants to see that by awarding the scholarship, they will enable a member of their community to succeed where they otherwise would have struggled.
- Financial need. While this is not necessary to qualify for the scholarship, your need is considered when granting awards.
- Unique and extraordinary accomplishments. This includes academic or extracurricular achievements.
The application requires a single essay, of one page in length, on how you meet the requirements of leadership skills and community or civic involvement. When answering this essay, you will likely be able to reuse an essay you wrote when applying to colleges, with only slight edits. A community or leadership essay tweaked slightly, can answer this prompt well.
They also ask for a list of accomplishments akin to a resume, and an explanation for how you will use the scholarship funds. If you have already received scholarship funds, you will need to report that information as well. These should each be a page long at most but can be shorter. Applications must be submitted by email only.
After receiving the award, you will be required to submit a written report a year later on what you used the scholarship funds for. The purpose of this is to show the fund’s contributors what their money has gone to, and to make sure the scholarship fund is being used for its intended purpose. This isn’t meant to be a high-stress endeavor, but you should be aware of it when applying for the scholarship.
Should you apply?
If you are of Asian descent and have committed to improving your community or have experience with civic engagement, then you should. This scholarship is very specific in what they are looking for, and this does disqualify many students. However, if you meet their criteria you should go for it, especially since the applicant pool is limited due to the strictness of the criteria.
Chinese Professionals Club of Houston Scholarship
The CPC Scholarship was created by the Chinese Professionals Club of Houston in order to support scholarship and achievement for students of Chinese heritage with demonstrated financial need, and who live in the Houston area. Students must be seniors at an accredited school and preparing to attend college next year. The number of scholarships, and their amount, varies from year to year, based on funding.
Applications are evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Grades and test scores: 30 points. (Due to Covid-19, the scholarship is currently not requiring test scores).
- Extracurricular involvements and achievement: 20 points.
- Community leadership and service: 15 points.
- Teacher’s recommendations: 15 points. Two letters are required, from a teacher or counselor.
Students’ families must also be under 300% of the poverty line (approximately $70,000 annual income). Students must be at least ¼ Chinese.
Applicants are asked to answer the following essays. Each response must be between 300 and 500 words.
Choose one of the following:
- How has your Chinese American identity shaped your character, principles, aspirations, and worldview?
- Describe an event, life experience, course, project, or encounter that played an unparalleled role in forming your identity and aspirations.
The second essay is likely to be easier to use another to answer, as the prompt is quite similar to how many students answer the personal statement. This will take some editing, but reusing your personal statement is much easier than writing a whole new essay. The first prompt is akin to diversity essay questions some colleges ask. You may or may not have already written an essay that answers it.
Generally, we recommend reusing old work if possible, editing as necessary to meet word counts, and fully answering the question. If you have essays that answer both prompts, use whichever one is stronger, and better shows the scholarship committee who you are.
All applicants also must answer this question:
- We are interested in learning more about you and the context in which you have grown up, formed your aspirations and accomplished your academic successes. Please describe the factors and challenges that have most shaped your personal life and aspirations. How have these factors formed your growth?
- Students may optionally answer this question as well: How has living through the COVID-19 pandemic during some of your most significant and formative years impacted or changed you?
You may be able to reuse an essay to answer this question, but not necessarily. If you write about a challenge you faced, make sure to discuss how you overcame it, and how the experience caused you to grow as both a student and a scholar. Even if you don’t have any major challenges you overcame, this essay should still focus on how you have grown, and what instigated that growth.
For the second essay, if you have been majorly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, discuss that here. Writing these essays should follow the same advice we give for writing college essays on the pandemic. Briefly: only answer this question if you have something unique to say, or if it will add something integral to your application. Optional means optional; don’t write a generic essay just because you think you have to. If you have nothing to say, just say nothing.
Some students are invited to interview after their applications are submitted. You can read our guide to interviews for advice on how to handle this. While the guide is on college interviews, the same principles apply.
Should you apply?
If you meet all of the requirements, then yes. This is a very niche scholarship, but that makes it more attractive and less competitive for the students who do meet the criteria. If you are qualified, then you should apply.
Final Thoughts
There are a lot of small and niche scholarships out there; these are only two such examples. Most of these scholarships do not award large sums, a few hundred or a few thousand dollars at the outside, but you can apply to many of them, and small funds do add up. We do caution you to be wary when applying for scholarships; anything which requires an application fee is likely a scam, and should not be applied for. Generally, though, there are many wonderful small scholarships out there, and you should take advantage of the ones which apply to you.
If you want advice on how to apply to college to maximize your chances of financial aid, or on any other aspect of the admissions process, schedule a free consultation with us. We have a depth of experience helping students find the best college for them, and are always happy to hear from you.
