Scholarship winners are all about making their applications reader-friendly for the people who review them. You can do this by organizing facts into a table, followed by a memorable knock-out word picture that adds meaning to the facts. The word picture in this example came from a letter of recommendation.
Task: Show Your Volunteer and Service Activities
Activity: Community service through Youth Force
Grades: 9-11
Approximate Hours: 6 hours per month; 12 months per year
Details: Park and neighborhood clean up, nursing home companion, worker at car washes and rummage sales, server at charity dinners.
Activity: Summer service – Appalachia Service Project
Grades: 9-10
Approximate Hours: 168 hours total
Details: Mobile home repair, tarring roofs and installing insulation and windows.
Activity: Environmental Science Community Service
Grades: 11
Approximate Hours: 1 hour each week for 32 weeks
Details: Collected recyclables and trash, tested water, surveyed neighbors on water use.
Activity: Summer service – Red Lake Indian Reservation
Grades: 11
Approximate Hours: 168 hours
Details: Provided childcare, produced kids’ fun fair, painted interior of facilities.
Activity: Reading tutor
Grades: 9-10
Approximate Hours: 5 hours per week, 1 semester
Details: One-on-one reading help to second grader
“Jordan is the one who I can always count on being there, ready to help in any way that we need it. I have always said that amazing things would happen if our group could have ten Jordans!”
Samuel Washington, Youth Force Director
Morris Sampler 