All applications for this year’s Build A Better Scholarship are due on or before Monday, April 7, 2025 at 11:59 pm MST. That’s just 12 days away!
Before submitting, please make sure to double or triple check that your contact information for yourself, mentor, and high school is correct. On your application, you need to include:
Your email and phone number
Your mentor’s email and phone number (this must be someone who is directly involved in your project)
Your high school name, phone number, and city
Name, email, and phone number for the registrar or secretary from your high school
Name of the college, trade school, or university you will be attending in the fall
You can find other weekly reminders here and here.
If you have any other questions, you can check out our scholarship page here, or can send us an email at scholarship@honorsgraduation.com.
This week’s scholarship reminder and tip is about submitting your videos and pictures! Since we can’t physically meet with every single applicant to see their project in action, we need you to SHOW us your work in the form of photos and videos. Both video and photos are required to be considered as a scholarship winner. Below, I have included the specific requirements and guidelines for both photo and video submission. The requirements listed below are exactly what you will find on the application.
Video Requirements:
*2-5 minutes *Must be edited to include: -Examples of your work in action (photos, video clips, etc.) -A few words directly from you regarding your project (can be voice-over) *Include 1-3 brief interviews with people you are working with *Must address the following questions: -What would you improve with more time? -What new skills or concepts have you acquired? -What have you learned about yourself based on the experience?
***IMPORTANT*** Please make sure your video is viewable. Please check the share settings before submitting it. You can choose to upload a Google Drive folder containing your video OR you can upload or link a YouTube video you made.
Photo Requirements:
We would love to see evidence of your project and work! Photos could include, but are not limited to: pictures of brochures/handouts/advertisements you created to go with your project, pictures of your physical prototype, if applicable, and pictures of you in action– giving a presentation, working with your community, building your project, etc. You are the magic behind your project– take pride in it and document yourself making a difference, then share it with us!
Please share photos of publish-able image quality of your work. A minimum of 5 photos is required, but more is encouraged.
Failure to upload images will result in disqualification. Uploading images directly or providing a link to a Google Drive folder of photos is acceptable. Providing photos in a video slideshow, PDF page, PowerPoint, social media account, or any other non-publishable way will result in disqualification.
You can find additional application requirements and other information here. As a reminder, applications are due on April 7, 2025 at 11:59 MST.
Just a friendly reminder that final application submissions for this year’s Build A Better Future Scholarship are due by Monday, April 7, 2025 at 11:59 MST. Prior to submitting your application, please ensure you have met all requirements, have all pictures and videos correctly uploaded to the form, and that all contact and school information is accurate.
You can find the application as well as our FAQ page here. Should you have any further questions, please reach out to us via email at scholarship@honorsgraduation.com.
We can’t wait to see the amazing projects you have been working on!
Just a friendly reminder that the deadline for the OPTIONAL Strategy Plan is due this coming Monday, March 3.
This form is NOT required, and is optional. If you are planning to apply for our scholarship, and would like feedback on your project prior to submitting your final application, you are welcome to fill out a Strategy Plan, and we will do our best to give feedback and answer any questions you may have.
We’re reached the end of our 2024 scholarship winner spotlights. You can find out more about our other winners by clicking on their names: Jack, Thrisha, Sahana, and Josephine. Last, but certainly not least, we have Elia Woods, who created The Recycling Project, which is aimed to provide better water accessibility to homeless and other underserved populations.
Elia described what made this project come about, “One day, when my mom and I were volunteering at Paz de Cristo, a local homeless charity, we noticed a problem. While dinner was being served, we noticed that many of those in need were using old Circle K cups or crinkled plastic water bottles for their drinking water. They were then coming back to the water dispenser several times to refill small styro-foam coffee cups and old disposable bottles. They clearly did not have a durable solution to store/drink water outside of the shelter.”
When she realized it was a problem at one homeless shelter, Elia realized it was likely a problem at other shelters as well, and that she could do something to help. Her solution for this was to place donation bins in various businesses in the community. There, people could donate new or used reusable water bottles. Elia would then collect the water bottles, wash them, then donate them to those in need.
These donations would help to alleviate the problem of poor quality water containers while also reducing the use of single use plastic water bottles. In 2022, Elia was able to collect and donate 678 reusable water bottles, and in 2023, she was able to collect over 1,500! What an amazing impact this project has had.
We’re continuing our spotlights of our 2024 scholarship winners. You can read our other spotlight posts here, here, and here.
Today’s spotlight is on Josephine Gardiner, whose aim is to provide free swim lessons to underprivileged and underserved children. Josephine grew up swimming and on swim teams, and feels very comfortable in and around the water. As she watched her classmates and others swim, she realized that not everyone was as confident in water as she was.
Thus, her project, “Pool Panthers” was born. Josephine’s overall goal was to “improve water safety and wellbeing for youth and teens in under-resourced communities.” To achieve this goal, she plans to teaching basic floating and swimming skills, teaching children how to use swim equipment, helping children understand water safety skills, educating parents and guardians how to be effective water watchers, and promoting a fun water environment while also encouraging children to love water while being safe in it.
Josephine planned to hold lessons at low-income housing complexes, alleviating the problem of how children would travel to their swim lessons. She used Red Cross trained volunteer instructors and life guards, and would hold multiple lessons at the same location so as to reach as many kids as possible. She also made sure to cater to all skills and comfort levels.
By providing these free lessons, Josephine has been able to promote a safe relationship with water while still allowing for children to have fun and get use out of their community pools.
Today we continue our spotlights on our 2024 scholarship recipients. You can read about our other winners here and here.
Our spotlight today is on Sahana Gupta. Sahana came to realize that while many children in foster care had their basic needs taken care of, extra “wants” were often overlooked. She set out to create a positive birthday memory for children in the Charlottesville Attention Foster Family by baking, decorating, and delivering personalized birthday cakes.
Her goals include to expand her project beyond the foster care system to serving other children in need, as well as creating partnerships with bakeries and children’s organizations to maximize the reach of her project.
Sahana had all the resources at her own home, and was able to get cakes made and delivered easily, which allowed for her to get her idea up and going quickly and effectively. You can check out her website Hani’s Heroes for more information.
As someone who has had a cousin and a niece adopted into my family out of foster care, I absolutely love this project and the thought and consideration Sahana put into the children who are in foster care. It’s an important work, for sure!
