1. Prestigious Scholarships

2. Hillcrest Scholarships
Caitlin McAvoy received a Hillcrest Scholarship to travel to Romania to implement a dance therapy inspired program for young female survivors of sexual abuse.
Link to video:
Click to play video

3. Hillcrest Scholarships
Carly Starke (biotechnology) (pictured with her faculty mentor, Dr. Louise Temple) interned at the Food and Drug Administration where she worked on an effort to develop an acid resistant typhoid vaccine that would reduce the number of doses required to gain long-lasting, high efficacy immunity.

4. Hillcrest Scholarships
Michelle Amaya participated in a health immersion program in La Paz, Bolivia where she engaged in a clinical rotation program through Child and Family Health International.

5. Hillcrest Scholarships
Hillcrest Scholarships provide $5000 to support transformative, off-campus summer experiences
Eligibility
2nd-year Honors students
Selection Criteria
Quality of the proposed enrichment experience
Academic achievements & intellectual promise
Leadership experience & community engagement
Potential for the proposed project to have a transformation impact on the student & society

6. Hillcrest Scholarships
Three scholarships open to projects that connect with one or more of the Honors College’s Areas of Emphasis
Creativity, Global Studies, Leadership, Research, & Service/Civic Engagment
McGhee Scholarship for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Hinshaw-Daniel Scholarship
Open to all areas, but requires financial need
Link to a descriptions of all Hillcrest Scholarship projects:

7. Hillcrest Scholarships
Identify a faculty mentor
With the support of your mentor, develop a project
Be creative! Goal is that it connects to your area of emphasis, Honors Project, and/or future academic & career goals
Application: Personal statement (1-2 pages), project proposal (3-5 pages), budget, transcript, letter of support
Application deadline is March of sophomore year
More information,

8. Preparing for national scholarships
Seek out opportunities to create a series of linked, transformative experiences—nearly all national scholarship recipients take advantage of opportunities in their freshman & sophomore years
Undergraduate research
Leadership opportunities through campus and community organizations
Study abroad
Early scholarship/fellowship programs

9. Linked transformative experiences
Hillcrest Scholar
Rotary Global Grant Scholarship
Claire received a Hillcrest Scholarship in the spring of her sophomore year, which allowed her to spend the summer in Tanzania, volunteering with several organizations working on environmental initiatives. This experience informed her Honors capstone project and helped her develop her clarify her post-graduate plans. She applied for a Rotary Scholarship during the summer before her senior year and received a an award to support graduate study in international development at SOAS in London.

10. Preparing for national scholarships
Become involved in organizations and activities—but choose wisely
Build connections
Talk to faculty members who have expertise in your interest areas & ask about opportunities to work with them
Don’t be afraid to reach out to faculty and staff who you haven’t had in a class; expand your network
Seek out opportunities to make connections with guest speakers, at conferences, when studying abroad

11. Scholarship opportunities for 1st & 2nd year students
Fulbright Summer Institutes for U.S. Undergraduates
Critical Language Scholarship Program
Boren Scholarship
Gilman Scholarship
Goldwater Scholarship
Udall Scholarship
NOAA Scholarship
NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates
See for a list and description of national scholarship opportunities.
Fulbright Summer Institutes are fully funded 3-6-week academic and cultural programs in the United Kingdom. To be eligible, applicants must have at least two years of undergraduate study left to complete (i.e., generally only open to 1st and 2nd year students).
CLS program is a fully funded summer overseas language and cultural immersion program for American students. CLS offers programs in 14 critical needs languages, including Chinese, Russian, Arabic, and Swahili.
Boren Scholarships support long-term study abroad and language training in world regions critical to U.S. interests, including Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. There is a summer (8-week) program open to STEM students.
The Gilman Scholarship Program provides grants to U.S. citizens of limited financial means to enable them to study abroad.
Goldwater awards scholarships ($7500) to second and third-year students with outstanding potential who intend to pursue research careers in mathematics, natural sciences, and engineering. Applicants must be nominated by JMU.
The Udall Foundation awards scholarships (up to $7000) to second and third-year college students committed to careers related to the environment, tribal public policy, or Native American health care. Applicants must be nominated by JMU.
The NOAA/Hollings program provides academic assistance (up to $9500/year) and paid summer internships to support undergraduate training in oceanic and atmospheric science.
NSF REU’s provide paid, summer research opportunities for undergraduate students in a diverse array of fields. An REU site generally consists of a group of about ten undergraduate students who work in research programs with a host institution.

12. Questions? Contact Melinda Adams, adams2mj@jmu.edu
Fall 2016 Hillcrest 202 office hours
Mondays, 3-4:30
Wednesdays, 2-4
By appointment: Please send me an to schedule a time to meet outside of my office hours.