Opaa! Kenneth L. Short Memorial Scholarship

The Opaa! Kenneth L Short Memorial Scholarship will annually award renewable $2,500 scholarships to employees of Opaa! Food Management, Inc., their children, and their grandchildren.

Eligibility
Applicants must:

• be an Opaa! Food Management Inc. employee, child of an employee, or grandchild or an employee who has been employed by Opaa! Food Service Inc. at least one year as of the scholarship application deadline.
• be pursuing an associate degree, bachelor’s degree, or certificate.
• plan to enroll full-time (children/grandchildren) or part-time (employees only) in an accredited, nonprofit, trade/technical school or two-year or four-year college or university in the United States.
• have unmet financial need after all other forms of financial aid are applied (excluding loans) at the school they plan to attend.

Preference will be given to students who have not previously completed a Bachelor’s Degree.

Selection
Recipients will be selected by the St. Louis Community Foundation based on the student’s commitment to, and academic preparation for, higher education; the quality of the essay(s); and consideration of unusual circumstances. Officers or employees of Opaa! Food Management Inc. play no part in the selection of award recipients. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please answer all questions that apply to you, even if they are not marked “required.”

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 demonstrate financial need. Please note that because the award amounts are based on available funding and financial need that 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.

Questions? Contact Ellen Vietor, Scholarship Manager at the St. Louis Community Foundation, 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.

Donor
Kevin & Traci Short
Award
up to $2,500, renewable
Deadline
04/15/2025
Supplemental Questions
  1. Before you begin this application, please take a minute to read through the scholarship details. This will allow you to see all the eligibility requirements. Click on the scholarship name that is underlined and in blue ink in the upper left-hand corner to see the details. Check here to indicate you have reviewed the eligibility criteria.
  2. To be considered for this scholarship, your Scholarship Central General Application MUST include your FALL transcript for the current academic year. The transcript should show your name, school, grades, and cumulative GPA. If you previously uploaded an earlier transcript, please upload a new transcript to your General Application and change your answer to the GPA question. If your college choice has changed, please update that on the General Application as well.
  3. What is your relationship to Opaa! Food Management, Inc.?
  4. If you are the child/grandchild of an employee, please provide the full name, work location, and job title of your parent/grandparent who has worked for Opaa! Food Management at least one year as of April 15th of this year.
  5. If you are an employee, please provide your work location and job title.
  6. List any work experience, including company name, dates of employment, hours worked per week, and position(s) held:
  7. List any volunteer/community activities, including the activity, the time involved, dates of involvement, and position(s) held:
  8. List any extracurricular school activities or family responsibilities, including the activity, the time involved, dates of involvement, and position(s) held:
  9. ESSAY: Tell us about your gifts, talents, and strengths. How will these gifts, talents, and strengths help as you pursue your degree? (500 words or less)
  10. Why did you choose your field of study and what are your plans when you complete your degree? Share your goals and vision for your career. (200 words or less)
  11. Upload your FAFSA Submission Summary for next year.
  12. Enter your Student Aid Index that is on your FAFSA Submission Summary.
  13. UPLOAD: Please upload next year's Financial Aid Award Letter from the college you will attend. This document will be required before an award can be determined and should include: college name, applicant name, loans, grants and scholarships offered.
  14. What school issued the award letter that you uploaded?
  15. Upload documentation from the school you plan to attend that shows your total cost of attendance.
  16. List the names of any siblings, their age(s), and what school(s) they are attending (if any).
  17. If you wish to inform the reviewers of any unusual financial circumstances, including costs associated with your education or educational loans already incurred for or by you, please provide here. Please note that tax forms, W-2s or other documentation may be requested to verify information on the FAFSA Submission Summary.
  18. SCHOLARSHIP CENTRAL RECOMMENDATION: Enter the name and e-mail address of an instructor, counselor, advisor, supervisor or other similarly qualified individual who will submit a recommendation on your behalf. NOTE: As the applicant, it is your responsibility to inform that person to watch for an email sent on your behalf that will explain how to complete this process.
  19. SCHOLARSHIP CENTRAL SECOND RECOMMENDATION: Enter the name and e-mail address of an instructor, counselor, advisor, supervisor or other similarly qualified individual who will submit a letter of recommendation on your behalf. NOTE: As the applicant, it is your responsibility to inform that person to watch for an email sent on your behalf that will explain how to complete this process.
  20. Before you submit your application, be sure that the following items have been completed:
    • 1. Did you upload a copy of your FALL transcript that includes your name, school, grades, hours, and cumulative GPA to the My Scholarship Central General Application?
    • 2. Please make sure we can read the document you uploaded for the question that asks for your FAFSA Submission Summary and that you included all the pages in the report. Click “view” under the box that shows the uploaded file to check the document you provided.
    • 3. Did you upload the Financial Aid Award Letter from the college you plan to attend that includes your college name, your name, loans, grants, and scholarships offered?
  21. SIGNATURE: By entering my full name below, I certify that the information I have provided is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge and I authorize the St. Louis Community Foundation and its agents to examine, verify and discuss my academic records and other information that applies to the consideration of this application. My signature also signifies that, if awarded, I understand that it is my responsibility to inform the St. Louis Community Foundation of any changes to my college plans and that I understand that some portion of scholarship awards I receive from any source may be considered taxable income if the total amount exceeds the cost of tuition and course related fees, supplies and equipment.
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