[NFBV-Announce] Deadline Approaching (9/24) for the 2019 National Federation of the Blind of Virginia College Scholarship

[tracy.soforenko at gmail.com]

>From Patrick Johnson, National Federation of the Blind  Virginia Scholarship Committee Chair	
  Patrickjohnson1015 at gmail.com

Materials are in this message and individuals can either apply online or request a Word version of the application by contacting the scholarship committee chair via email. More information can be found on our web site.
http://www.nfbv.org/scholarship/
THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND OF VIRGINIA
2019 SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

The NFB of Virginia is pleased to announce the launch of its James F.
Nelson merit scholarship program for the academic year 2019-2020. Up to three scholarships of $1500.00 will be awarded based on academic achievement, community engagement, and leadership potential.

The NFB of Virginia believes that all blind and visually impaired students who apply for a James F. Nelson scholarship can benefit from the experience of attending the state convention. As such, the NFBV will cover reasonable costs associated with attending the convention for all eligible applicants, including a room at the hotel shared with a fellow scholarship applicant, most meals, and the cost of registration and a banquet ticket. Scholarship applicants should work with their local chapter to explore transportation options, and should notify the scholarship committee if they encounter difficulties.
Convention related expenses will be reimbursed or covered by the affiliate at the convention. Applicants are expected to pre-register in order to signal their intention to attend the state convention and to assist the scholarship committee to make hotel reservations.


To be eligible to receive a James F. Nelson scholarship, all applicants must:
•	Be legally blind or have a visual impairment that qualifies them to
receive services under IDEA or from a state vocational rehabilitation program;
•	Be a resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia, or be attending full
time an accredited institution of higher education in the Commonwealth of Virginia;
•	Plan to pursue a full-time, postsecondary course of study in the
2019-2020 academic year; and
•	Participate in the entire NFB of Virginia state convention and in
all scheduled scholarship program activities to be held November 1 - 3, 2019, at the Renaissance Portsmouth Norfolk Waterfront, Portsmouth, Virginia.


Applications are available at:
http://www.nfbv.org/scholarship/

.  Complete the online version or request a Microsoft Word version via an email to the Scholarship Committee Chair at patrickjohnson1015 at gmail.com.

Deadline: Applications must be received no later than 11:59pm on Tuesday, September 24, 2019.

Individuals who have already won two James F. Nelson scholarships should contact the scholarship committee chair before applying. The intention of the committee is to not award scholarships more than twice to the same individual except in extraordinary circumstances. Exceptions to this policy will only be made by decision of the committee chair and the NFBV affiliate president.

Completed scholarship applications and all supporting documentation should be uploaded to the online application site at www.nfbv.org or sent to  the NFB of Virginia scholarship committee chair, Dr. Patrick M. Johnson, at patrickjohnson1015 at gmail.com  with the words “scholarship application” in the subject line.

Deadline: Applications must be received no later than 11:59pm on Tuesday, September 24, 2019.

Applicants must submit at least one letter of recommendation from a teacher, professor, counselor, or academic advisor who is familiar with their scholarship.
Applicants are encouraged to provide additional letters of recommendation or references, including from employers, individuals working in the applicant’s field of interest, or leaders from the blind movement or other groups engaged in social change advocacy. Letters of recommendation may be submitted in email form.

An electronic copy of the applicant’s transcripts must be provided in support of the application. Unofficial transcripts in PDF form from the accredited institution are acceptable.

APPLICATION

Please complete this application by entering your responses after each prompt. All applications must be received by 11:59pm of Tuesday, September 24, 2019.
All supporting documents (i.e., letters of recommendation and
transcripts) must be received by October 1, 2018.

1.         Full Name:

2.         Email address:

3.         Preferred phone number (indicate if mobile or home):

4.         Mailing Address - Street, City, State & ZIP:

5.         Date of birth (MM/DD/YYYY):

6.         Year of study – i.e., freshman, sophomore, junior, senior,
or graduate student:

7.         Your current or expected field of study (major):

8.         What is your degree objective? (Associate, bachelor’s,
master’s, law degree, or doctorate):

9.  Name of the high school you attended or attend if you are an incoming freshman, and cumulative GPA:

10.       Name of the college or university you will be attending in
the 2018-19 school year:

11.       If you are not an incoming freshman, please provide your
cumulative GPA for the college or university where you currently
attend:

12.       List other colleges or universities you’ve attended, degrees
earned, and cumulative GPAs as appropriate:

Micro essay Questions: For the following items provide brief and specific responses in complete sentences.

13. What is your long-term career goal? Where do you see yourself in five to ten years?

14.       Describe extracurricular activities or community service in
which you have been or are currently involved:

15. Describe the skills and strategies you employ as a blind or visually impaired person to accomplish your goals:

16. Provide examples of ways in which you’ve demonstrated leadership – this could be in your community, school, place of worship, or as part of a social organization outside the home:

17. What do you think is the most important challenge facing blind students today?

18. Describe what you hope to gain from the experience of attending the Virginia state convention:

19. Please indicate whether or not one of the leaders of the Virginia state student division may contact you, and by what preferred means – email, phone,
text:

20. How did you hear about the NFB of Virginia James F. Nelson scholarship program?

Please tell us anything else you think we should know about you in evaluating your application. Feel free to list any awards you have received, experiences that reflect who you are or anything else you think we might find of interest.

Only complete applications will be considered. The Scholarship Committee takes no responsibility for notifying you if required information is missing from your application. Be sure to review your application for completeness before submitting. If you encounter any difficulty in submitting your application, or if you have questions, please contact the scholarship committee chair.

NFBV Scholarship Committee Chair Contact Information:

Dr. Patrick M. Johnson
Patrickjohnson1015 at gmail.com
(540) 230-4287 (moble)

List of References:

Provide below the name or names of individuals from whom you intend to seek a letter of recommendation, and their affiliation with you as a scholarship applicant. Please note that only one letter of recommendation is required, but you may submit more than one. Recommendations may be emailed to the scholarship chair.

Reference #1: Name, affiliation

Reference #2: Name, affiliation

Reference #3: Name, affiliation

CERTIFICATION STATEMENT

By typing my full name and the date below, I confirm that all of the information provided above and in related attachments is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.

Affirm by typing your name here:

Date of affirmation: