Fifty-nine of the 201 Elizabeth Wesley Youth Merit Incentive Award winners honored on Sept. 19 at Clover Park Technical College were students from the Tacoma Public Schools.
The 201 students received a $350 scholarship for their academic excellence, community involvement and good citizenship. The Elizabeth Wesley Youth Merit Incentive Award Program was created to recognize and honor African-American youth in grades nine through 11, and was named for Elizabeth Wesley, a civic leader active in the founding of the Tacoma Urban League.
The program is a community partnership among individuals, businesses and organizations that rewards youth for academic achievement and community service including, Tacoma Branch NAACP, Tacoma-Pierce County Black Collective, Prince Hall Masons, Washington, Tacoma Ministerial Alliance, Tacoma Urban League Guild and Tacoma Urban League Inc.
Scholarship requirements
To qualify for the award, a student must be an African American male or female who is a U.S. citizen and currently enrolled in the ninth, 10th or 11th grade at school in one of the following districts: Bethel, Clover Park, Franklin Pierce, Puyallup, Steilacoom, Tacoma or University Place. This year’s winners must have earned at cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.50 or better by the end of the 2008-09 school year.
The applicants also had to write a well-structured and well-researched essay of at least 250 words to answer: There has been much change in America in the last 10 years. How has this change impacted your dreams or aspirations for the future? They also had to fill out a form about their involvement in school activities, participation in community activities and organizations, any awards or special recognition, future educational/career goals and church affiliation (if applicable).
In addition, the students had to include three letters of recommendation: one from their parent or guardian; one from a school staff person; and one from a community representative. They also had to furnish a certified copy of their transcript reflecting final grades for the 2008-09 academic year.
Evaluation criteria:
Each applicant was evaluated on:
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The quality of his/her school transcript and the extent to which it reflected an improvement in the previous year’s GPA in mathematics, science and English courses.
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The degree to which he/she is involved in school activities.
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The scope of his/her involvement in community activities, such as volunteer work.
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The content of his/her letters of recommendation.
Click on this link for a list of Elizabeth Wesley Youth Merit Incentive Awards scholarship recipients in the Tacoma Public Schools.