William C. and Bertha Black Rhoda Scholarship

This scholarship is awarded from the St. Louis Community Foundation Multi-Opportunity application.

To honor graduates of Vashon High School, the William C. and Bertha Black Rhoda Scholarship Fund was established in 1994 from the estate of William Clarence Rhoda in memory of his wife, Bertha Black Rhoda. In his will, William Rhoda indicated that the scholarships were to be used for the “higher education of negro men and women who reside in the St. Louis Metropolitan area who would otherwise be unable to obtain the benefit of such education in colleges and professional schools located in the United States…graduates of Vashon High School shall receive special consideration for scholarships. In selecting scholars, the St. Louis Community Foundation shall consider the character and ambition of such negro applicants who need not necessarily be in the upper third of their class scholastically.”
Eligibility: Applicants must:

• be a senior in high school who is graduating this May. Vashon High School seniors will be given special consideration.
• be a resident of the St. Louis metropolitan area.
• be Black or African American.
• be planning to enroll full-time as an undergraduate at a nonprofit, accredited two or four-year college, university, trade, or technical school in the United States.
• demonstrate unmet financial need at the college or university the student will attend. In general, unmet financial need will be defined as the difference between the cost of attendance and the sum of the student’s grant aid from other sources, plus the Student Aid Index (as determined by the student’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid).

Selection for all scholarships awarded from this application
Recipients will be selected by the St. Louis Community Foundation based on the student’s commitment to, and academic preparation for, higher education; the student’s contributions to their community; the quality of the essay(s); determination of financial need; and consideration of unusual circumstances. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please answer all questions that apply to you, even if they are not marked “required.”
Preference will be given to students who have not previously completed a Bachelor’s Degree.

Renewal
Recipients may reapply for award consideration for a maximum of four years of undergraduate funding, provided they continue to make satisfactory progress toward a degree and continue to meet the eligibility criteria. Please note that because the award amounts are based on available funding and financial need, which can change from year to year, the amount of this scholarship award may change if a recipient applies for renewal awards in years to come.

Notification
Application status will be changed from submitted to either offered or denied in June. Applicants can view their status by logging in to their Scholarship Central account. Funds will be mailed to the recipients’ schools in August.

Questions? Contact Ellen Vietor, Scholarship Manager at the St. Louis Community Foundation, at scholarships@stlgives.org or 314-880-4960.

Eligibility, financial need, and award amount for this scholarship program will be determined by the St. Louis Community Foundation. This scholarship program, as a component fund of the St. Louis Community Foundation, does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, creed, national origin, gender, age, color, sexual orientation, veteran status, or physical or mental disability.