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Candlelighters Continuing Education Scholarship

 

For high school seniors or current college students in pursuit of a higher education who have previously been or are currently diagnosed with cancer.
Scholarships

Candlelighters Scholarship

About Candlelighters Scholarship

In 1996, Candlelighters For Children With Cancer established the Continuing Education Scholarship Program. We are proud to support high school seniors or current college students in pursuit of a higher education who have previously been or are currently diagnosed with cancer.

Amounts Awarded

  • One $2,500 scholarship.
  • One $1,000 scholarship.
  • One $500 scholarship.

Application Timeline for 2022/2023

February 1st:  Application period opens.

March 10th: Scholarship Essay Writing Workshop 

April 3rd: Scholarships due.

June 3rd: Winners announced.

July/August: Scholarship Awards sent to colleges.

 

Who is Eligible?

Applicant Criteria

  • The applicant must be a current resident of Oregon or Southwest Washington, or—if attending school elsewhere—must reside in Oregon or Southwest Washington when not actively boarding at school.
  • The applicant must have or have had cancer before age 21.
  • The applicant must be pursuing an undergraduate, technical, or vocational education.
  • The applicant must be a graduating high school senior or an enrolled post-secondary student at the time of application. 
  • If a high school senior, the applicant must have at minimum a cumulative 3.0 G.P.A. If the applicant has an I.E.P. or accommodations in place, the required G.P.A. is 2.5.
  • If the applicant is currently attending a post-secondary school, the required G.P.A is 2.0.
  • Candlelighters scholarship recipients can only receive the scholarship once. Applicants previously declined may re-apply in subsequent years, as long as they are still attending school and meet applicant criteria.
  • If a student is awarded the scholarship but does not attend school, the scholarship award will be reviewed, which may result in its forfeiture.  In that case, the scholarship would be awarded to a runner-up applicant.
  • This scholarship process and the award itself are reviewed annually and are subject to the availability of funds from Candlelighters For Children With Cancer.

Application Requirements

Before you begin the online application form below:

  • Review the eligibility requirements (above) to make sure you qualify for the scholarship.
  • Have all required documentation ready to upload in a Word or PDF format: School transcripts, 2 letters of recommendation, and the essay. See below for more a detailed description of each document.

 

Questions?

Contact scholarships@candlelightersoregon.org or call 503.719.4244.

Transcripts

Your most recent high school or college transcript (non-official transcripts accepted) in a Word or PDF format.

Letters of Recommendation

Two letters of recommendation in Word or PDF format.

  • Letters must address why you should receive a scholarship.
  • Recommendation must come from someone other than a family member. We recommend that you have at least 1 letter of recommendation from a teacher or professor who can speak to your performance as a student.
  • Letters must be typed and dated.

Essay

Describe how your cancer experience has influenced your perspective on life and how you plan on applying that perspective to help you achieve your goals.

A Note on the Essay

We recognize that everyone has different writing styles and proficiencies.  Our committee will be scoring the essays based on the content of the essay, structure, and relevancy to the essay topic (with less emphasis on writing proficiency/grammar).

Here are 4 simple tips:

  • Make it personal – provide details that paint a picture of your life.
  • Develop an outline before writing the essay.
  • Organize your thoughts – having a clear structure goes a long way!
  • Use spell check or a free grammar check like Grammarly.com.
  • Have several people with strong writing skills read your essay and provide feedback. This could be a parent, teacher, tutor, or friend.

Winner Contingencies

Required

Scholarship winners will be required to submit an image and writeup on their upcoming education goals and plans to be shared with the Candlelighters community on our website and social media.

Winner opportunities

The following may be requested from scholarship winners, but not required. Willingness to participate in the below will not be weighed as part of scholarship selection.

  • Awardees may be asked to attend or speak at a Candlelighters event in person or by video, to highlight our organization and the impact of our scholarship program.
  • A short write-up on the impact of the scholarship and picture mid-year for marketing and communications. 
  • An opportunity to be named a “Candlelighters Scholarship Ambassador” and engage with the community via a blog post, the Luminaries youth group, and/or a video for social media.

Apply

Applications for 2022-2023 are now closed.

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