Matthew J. Miranda M.Ed. County Extension Agent: 4-H and Youth Development Guadalupe County

 First scholarship was given in 1959 by the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo for $1,000. Today, the largest scholarships are the HLSR and SALE $16,000 scholarships  In 2013, the scholarship program will 54 years old  The Texas 4-H Scholarship Program is the largest 4-H scholarship program in the United States

 The program is overseen by the Texas 4-H Youth Development Foundation  Over two million dollars in scholarships will be distributed at the scholarship assembly in at State Roundup; that’s about 225 scholarships  They range from $1,000 to $18,000

 November – December ◦ Applicant complete FAFSA and receive report  Feb 1 ◦ Application due to County Office  February 8, 2013 ◦ Applications due to District Office  February 22, 2013 ◦ Applications due to State 4-H Office  April 12, 2013 ◦ Interview selection notification  May 10-12, 2013 ◦ Interviews (Austin, TX)  June 10, 2013 ◦ Awards Program/Banquets (College Station, TX)

 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has increased the value of their scholarships from $16,000 to $18,000.  All grade point averages (GPA's) must be in a 100 point unweighted scale.

 HLSR now accepts home and private school applicants as scholars  All applicants that are invited to participate in interviews are NOT guaranteed a scholarship  Applicants will NOT be excused from either the interview OR the scholarship assembly in

 These scholarships are Academic Scholarships: That is, they are awarded based on your academic record in school, 4-H experience and financial need ◦ Financial Need requirement are for certain ones only  Approximately 225 scholarships will be awarded  Amount of scholarships will be from $1,000 to $18,000

 Baccalaureate ◦ For students who wish to pursue a Bachelor of Science (BS) or Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree  Technical Certification ◦ For students who wish to pursue technical certification  Collegiate ◦ Designed for former Texas 4-H members who have completed at least 30 hours of college credit and maintained a 2.7 GPA  Courageous Heart ◦ Awarded to Texas 4-H members that have overcome extreme obstacles related to medical, family and/or education, and remained an active member of both 4-H and school

 Be an active member of the Texas 4- H and Youth Development Program  Be a United States Citizen and Texas resident  Be scheduled to graduate from a Texas High School (public, private, or home) during the school year  Have made formal application to enroll in a Texas college/ university/technical school  Meet the entrance requirements for the college/ university for which formal application has been made  Not apply for both 4-H & FFA scholarships, One or the other!  Submit a current Texas 4-H Scholarship application ◦ All pages must be included, it must be typed, no extra pages will be allowed and your transcript, FAFSA and college papers must be included  All applications MUST meet the minimum requirements/criteria to even be considered for judging (see guidelines for complete details). Those applications not meeting the requirements should not be submitted to the county Extension Office and/or Agent.

 Score at least 1350 on your SAT or 19 on the ACT ◦ Scores must be from the same test date ◦ No Updated test scores will be accepted after the application date…so take your SAT/ACT NOW!  Be in the upper half of your class based on scholastic rank for the first 3.5 years ◦ Houston and Wallrath scholarships will require applicants to be in the upper quarter of their class

 You must not have plans to continue your formal education at a Texas College or University after the completion of a Technical Program

 Complete the additional pages in the scholarship application  You do not need to have the minimum SAT/ACT scores  Courageous Heart applicants cannot be considered for other Texas 4-H Opportunity Scholarships  Have documentation of obstacles  Scholarship value is $5,000

 United States citizenship and a Texas Resident  Been an active member of 4-H  Attending a Texas College/University  Graduated from HS no later than May 2011  Have completed 30 hours of undergraduate work  2.7 cumulative GPA  MUST BE PRESENT at the 2012 Scholarship Assembly in Lubbock

 Available in MS Word  Samples are on the website, will show you how to format your application ◦  Submit the most current application ◦ scholarships/  Homeschool youth must provide: ◦ An Official Transcript (contact Matt Miranda if you need help with this) ◦ Proof of completing all required standardize tests to graduate and enroll in a Texas College/ University, OR proof of the standardized test exemption  You may not submit a TEXAS FFA or FCCLA Scholarship application ◦ National FFA Scholarship applications are allowed

 4-H Record Book ( This helps)  2013 Texas 4-H Opportunity Scholarship Application Guidelines and Examples  Official high school transcripts with either school seal or original signature of counselor/principal  SAT/ACT Scores  FAFSA Application Report (complete now)  College Catalog pages from your desired major

 It is on a 100 point scale  When applying for scholarships for financial need, your need will be taken into account, whereas with out need, it will not be considered at all

 Must be FULLY complete to receive consideration  Application must be: ◦ Computer generated and prepared  Not hand written ◦ Typed using a typewriter ◦ Must include all required attachments ◦ Official transcript ◦ SAT/ACT Scores ◦ Copy of FAFSA- SAR Report ◦ College Catalog pages with your major of study

 Section1: Personal Information  Section 2: College/University Information  Section 3: Livestock Show Participation  Section 4: SALE- School Tours Information  Section 5: Individual Scholastic Record  Section 6: Financial Information  Section 7: Project Experience  Section 8: Leadership Experience  Section 9: Citizenship/ Community Service Experience and Honors  Section 10: Outside 4-H Experience  Section 11: Personal Narrative  Section12: Career Narrative  Section 13: Courageous Heart Narrative  Section 14: Acknowledgement of Integrity, participation and certification  Section 15: County Extension Agent Certification  Section 16: Application Checklist and Certification  Required Attachments{ ACT/SAT Scores. Transcript, FAFSA, College pages}

 Sections 1-4 are on the first page  Section1: Personal Information ◦ Identify the submission of the Application (Baccalaureate, Technical, Courageous) ◦ All information must be completed  Section 2: College University Information ◦ Complete all information related to high school planning on graduating from ◦ List in priority order up to three schools which the applicant has received any acceptance notice from them ◦ List the major, department and career the applicants plans on pursuing

 Section 3: Livestock Show Participation ◦ Some shows require that an applicant has been an exhibitor at their show to be eligible for consideration ◦ Make sure to indicate the actual year the applicant participated at the show, NOT THE NUMBER OF YEARS PARTICIPATED  2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, NOT 4 years participating  Section 4: San Antonio Livestock Show- School Tours ◦ Indicate if you are planning on serving as a school tour guide for the 2013 SALE Stock Show ◦ SALE Tour Guide Scholarships are only available to those youth that have served their graduating year and meet the college/university majors for SALE

 Section 5: ◦ Must be completed by the Applicant’s high school principal, counselor, or person serving in that official role for the applicants ◦ The completed record and related materials must be returned to the applicant to become part of and attached to the application ◦ Must have a true class ranking (evening if the applicant is in Home Schooled, they must be ranked “1 of 1” ◦ Must have the quartile ranking of the applicant (home school are automatically top ¼) ◦ All grade point averages (GPA's) must be in a 100 point unweighted scale. ◦ Failure to provide class and quartile ranking can and will result in disqualification

 Section 6: Financial Information ◦ Collected and evaluated in two forms:  FAFSA  Financial Need Narrative ◦ It Provides an Expected Financial Contribution (EFC) amount as to what can be planned on from parents ◦ FAFSA takes approximately 3-4 weeks for processing  That’s why NOW is the time to apply!!! ◦ FAFSA helps you find and obtain other financial aid as well ◦ Submit the FAFSA Student Activity Report with the Application ◦ FAFSA.ed.gov

 Section 6: Financial Information ◦ Indicate if applying for other scholarships, loans, and/or other financial aid  HINT!!! Judges and donors like to see that you are actively searching out and applying for other financial aid!!! ◦ If applicant has applied for other financial support, it must be listed on the form ◦ Provide the name of the support and the type (scholarship, grant, etc) ◦ Include amount per year; if no amount is listed, estimate by looking at past year’s awards

 Section 6: Financial Information ◦ Is the Scholarship Renewable. If it is dependant on grades, then we expect the applicant to maintain those grades- so yes it is! ◦ What is the Total Value of the financial support (amount per year times the number of years it is renewable…5000 per year X 4 years = $20,000) ◦ List the status of the financial aid  Confirmed-Means the applicant has received verification of receiving it  Declined- Applicant was turned down  Pending- Applicants has not heard anything ◦ If an applicant is selected for an interview, they will be required to provide proof and documentation of all financial assistance and aid packages to be received

 Section 6: Financial Information ◦ When writing the narrative, let the judges know WHY you need financial aid  DO NOT Start with, “I deserve this because” ◦ Information pertaining to the cost of college can be received from the University’s financial aid department, University catalog, or Texas Higher Education board website at  If you are a recipient of ANY Houston Livestock show scholarship, you may not receive more than $75,000 in total financial aid (scholarship or otherwise). If you pass this threshold, you will no longer be eligible to obtain the scholarship, SO be sure to list ALL aid you obtain!

 Sections 7-10: Experience Pages ◦ Information for completing Sections 7-10 can be taken from  4-H Record Book  Past Award Applications  Member Achievement Plan (MAP)  Other Personal Records  Remember: ◦ Information MUST be presented in the space provided ◦ Information listed should stress quality of the applicant’s experiences rather than quantity ◦ Examples can be found at scholarships/ in the Foundation Scholarship Examples link scholarships/

 Section 7: Project Experiences ◦ 4-H Projects  List up to four projects throughout applicant’s 4-H career  Describe years involved, knowledge and skills gained, scope of activity related to the project, demonstrations, talks, workshops, tours, interviews, etc.  The application is for the ENTIRE 4-H career, not just the past four years, like with record books  Describe why these projects were important and what impact the applicant's involvement provided to other people

 Section 8: Leadership Experience ◦ Leadership Roles  List up to 25 MAJOR Leadership 4-H roles  Include volunteer, promotion, and elected/appointed leadership  List roles and responsibilities, years, levels of involvement, duties and accomplishments  Briefly describe why the activities were important and what impact the applicant’s involvement provided to other people  Put emphasis on the quality of the experience, rather than quantity

 Citizenship and Community Service ◦ List up to 15 major citizenship and community service projects ◦ List roles and responsibilities, years, levels of involvement, duties and accomplishments ◦ Describe the activities, why they were important and the impact they had on others ◦ Emphasize quality over quantity  4-H Honors ◦ List up to 4 major 4-H Honors that the applicant received during the 4-H career ◦ List the honor, year received, level of award, and why applicant considers it to be one of the most important…how did it provide to your personal development

 Section 10: Outside 4-H Experience ◦ Outside of 4-H Leadership Activities, Honors, Work Experience, Volunteering / Community Service  Describe how the applicant spent time outside of 4-H activities, why they devoted time to a particular activity and the impact the activity had on their personal development and how it benefited others  List leadership roles outside of 4-H (school, church, sports, etc)

 Section 11: Personal Narrative ◦ Applicant must write or type a personal narrative about themselves, highlighting any important facts and information they believe the selection committee should know when considering the application ◦ Include any personal obstacles that the applicants has overcome during their 4-H career ◦ Space should be used wisely and do not repeat or re-list information already addressed in the application ◦ Use only the space provided on the remainder of the page…do not add pages or use the reverse of the page

 Section 12: Career Narrative ◦ Applicant should describe how they have prepared themselves to have an awareness of and an understanding about careers applicable to their degree or tech certification ◦ Types of info the applicant should provide include:  Visits to colleges or universities and conversations with people at those institutions  Investigations of job opportunities and availability  Persons/experiences that have influenced the applicant to pursue the degree  How the applicant decided between associate vs. bachelors degree

 Section 13: Courageous Heart Applicant Information ◦ Pages 11&12 of the application should be completed if a 4-Her is being considered for the CHS ◦ CH applicants must provide a detailed narrative of the family, school or medical obstacle that the applicant has experienced and overcome ◦ Include page listing three references for the applicant. References should be able to provide details pertaining to the obstacle ◦ Three letters of recommendations are required from the references about the obstacle, and how they have continued to be a strong 4-Her

 Section 14: Acknowledgement of Integrity, participation and certification ◦ Certification must be signed and dated by the applicant and a parents of the applicant ◦ Each statement must be initialed in ink by both the applicant and parents ◦ Applicant and parent will acknowledge review of FAFSA, transcript, test scores and college catalog pages being corrected and/ or included  HINT: It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure their transcript and test scores are correct. This may mean the applicant opens the transcript, reviews it and then reseal it in a new envelop before submitting to the county office

 Section 15: County Extension Agent Certification ◦ Agent will review application for correctness, quality and completion ◦ They will certify membership and 4-H club/county enrollment ◦ Application MUST be signed by a CEA

 Section 16: Application Checklist and Certification  The checklist on this page MUST be initialed at all levels  The Student, Parent and County Agent ALL need to initial  The County Agent will only initial AFTER all portions of the application and attachments have been turned in

 The application is DUE in the county office on February 1  Start early-ensure you have taken the ACT/SAT and submitted the FAFSA  Brainstorm and gather information before you start  Read and follow ALL instructions  Ask several people that you respect to review and critique the application  Complete ALL sections!  Emphasize quality as well as quantity

 This is a COMPEDITIVE ACEDEMIC scholarship process  An application is competing against the pool or applicants from across Texas, the best of the best!  Applicants change each year, just because “it worked” for someone last year doesn’t not mean the same result this year  Judges are different every year  Fort Worth and Rio Grand Stock Shows are the only donors that require participation in the show  DONORS set criteria, not 4-H, not agents  Make sure your grades are good and college entrance exams are done early and often

 If you still have questions, you can call Matt Miranda or Charla Bading at  If you need further help, call ◦ Dr. Toby Lepley, State 4-H Specialist 