4-H Leaders Council Scholarship

The Pierce County 4-H Leaders Council believes in the 4-H Program and life skills it develops:  Leadership, teamwork, communication skills, goal setting, service learning, management, initiative, self-discipline, decision making. We are happy to acknowledge those youth who have worked with 4-H, and we believe in their future.

The Pierce County 4-H Leaders Council offers scholarships from $250 to $1250 to 4-H senior members bound for post high school education. 

The Following Criteria is Required to Apply

• Currently enrolled as a Pierce County 4-H member.
• Enrolled as a 4-H member for the past three (3) years.
• Enrolled and active for one year in the available Leadership Projects, within Pierce County.
• Participated as a 4-H member in community service project(s).
• Been in good standing with the Pierce County 4-H Program.
• Graduating from high school the same year as application is made and will be attending an accredited school (trade, college, or university) in the fall.

The Following Documentation Will Be Required to Be Uploaded

• Pierce County Council Scholarship Application Form
• A typewritten essay (not more than 500 words) entitled “How 4-H Has Influenced Me” using Arial 12, with 1-inch margins.
• Letters of recommendation from two non-family members who know you well and are able to speak of my strengths in leadership and community service.  (Suggested sources: 4-H Leader, 4-H staff member, family friend, teacher, religious leader, mentor.)
• High school transcripts or acceptance letter from college or trade school.

Documents will need to be uploaded in MS Word or Adobe PDF formats.

Selection Process

• All applications will be reviewed for completeness immediately following the scholarship deadline. 
• Verification will be made by the 4-H Agent and/or the 4-H Program Assistant that the applicant is a 4-H member in good standing and has met all minimum criteria. 
• All applications will be reviewed by the Scholarship Selection Committee.  Applications will be rated and ranked based on the listed criteria (see insert).
• Maximum score of 80 points can be awarded based on submitted materials.
• The top five applicants receiving 50 points or more on the submitted materials will participate in an interview with the Scholarship Selection Committee (40 points possible for interview).
• Recipients of scholarships will be determined by the highest scores resulting from the above process.
• Recipients of the scholarships will be declared in the May newsletter.  High schools of scholarship recipients will be notified as soon as the committee decision is made.

Scholarship scoring criteria

• Evidence of 4-H leadership – 20 pts
• Community Service – 20 pts
• Essay – the influence of 4-H – 20 pts*
• Academic Performance – 5pts
• Community Involvement – 10 pts
• Neatness and clarity of the application – 5 pts

*Essay = Inadequate proofing and grammatical errors may result in a deduction of points.

DISTRIBUTION OF SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS

Each recipient of the Pierce County 4-H Leaders Council Scholarship is responsible to submit proof of enrollment.  A check will be sent to the institutions of higher learning directly.  Unclaimed scholarship funds after January 1 of the following year will revert to the 4-H Leaders Council.

The 4-H Leaders Council Executive Board reserves the right to suspend the awarding of the scholarship in any given year if no applicant meets the stated criteria or if, in the opinion of the Board, awarding the scholarship would not be in the best interests of the Pierce County 4-H Leaders Council or Washington State 4-H.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the Pierce County 4-H Leaders Council Scholarships or scholarship process, contact Grants and Scholarship Chairman Sharon Fisk.