MX Holdings Morris Lefton Memorial Scholarship

The MX Holdings Morris Lefton Memorial Scholarship program was established to support the academic aspirations of the children and grandchildren of employees of MX Holdings. Scholarship recipients will be those students who have evidence of goal attainment, perseverance, a positive work ethic, and integrity. Students must enroll full-time as an undergraduate student at an accredited, nonprofit two-year or four-year college, university, or technical school in the United States. Applicants who demonstrate unmet financial need will be given preference in the selection process. Up to four $2,000 MX Holdings Morris Lefton Memorial Scholarships will be awarded. Recipients may apply for renewal consideration for up to three additional years of funding. Seniors in high school, high school graduates, and those currently in college are eligible and encouraged to apply for consideration.

Eligibility
To be eligible to apply, the applicant must
• be the dependent child or grandchild of a current full-time employee who has completed two years of full-time employment with MX Holdings or any of its subsidiaries, such as Metal Exchange or Pennex.
• demonstrate evidence of goal attainment, perseverance, a positive work ethic, integrity
• have achieved a cumulative 2.5 grade point average on a 4-point scale (or the equivalent) at the time of application
• plan to enroll full-time in a nonprofit, accredited two or four-year college, university, or technical school in the United States
• have unmet financial need. 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).

Evaluation and 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 MX Holdings play no part in the selection of award recipients. The following information will be shared with MX Holdings personnel: name, contact information, and college for those selected for awards. 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 meet the eligibility criteria. 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. Award checks will be mailed in early August to the college the scholarship recipient will attend. Information about renewal applications will come from the St. Louis Community Foundation.

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.

Donor
Lefton Family
Award
$2,000, renewable
Deadline
05/01/2025
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. Are you the dependent child or grandchild of an employee of MX Holdings or any of its subsidiaries?
  4. Provide the full name of your parent (or legal guardian) or grandparent who has worked for MX Holdings or a subsidiary for at least two years.
  5. List any volunteer/community activities, including the activity, the time involved, dates of involvement, and position(s) held:
  6. List any extracurricular school activities or family responsibilities, including the activity, the time involved, dates of involvement, and position(s) held:
  7. List any work experience, including company name, dates of employment, hours worked per week, and position(s) held:
  8. Pick one of the following topics to write a brief essay (no more than 300 words) to help the evaluators get to know you. You may answer all three, if you wish, but only one is required.
    • Born just after the Great Depression, Morris Lefton grew up with little money and spent several years in an orphanage. Overcoming countless challenges to ultimately build a successful business providing jobs for hundreds of people, Morris Lefton was a self-made man. Write a brief essay about how you have dealt with challenge in your own life and how it has changed the way you will approach your future.
    • Morris Lefton believed in giving back to the community. He supported many causes and charities, usually on an anonymous basis. Write a brief essay about how you have given back to your community through volunteering your time, sharing a special talent or lending financial support. Explain why you felt it was important to give back.
    • With little formal education, Morris Lefton was an extremely inquisitive person who was very committed to life-long learning. Although he never graduated from high school, his personal motto was “If you don’t go, you don’t know.” He encouraged his employees to get out of the office to meet the customer on their own turf, facilitating a better understanding of their businesses and the ways MX Holdings could add value. Write a brief essay about the value of learning first hand—travel, field trips, meeting people, exploring nature, internships, etc. How will you incorporate this type of active learning in your education?
  9. Upload your FAFSA Submission Summary for next year.
  10. Enter your Student Aid Index that is on your FAFSA Submission Summary.
  11. 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.
  12. What school issued the award letter that you uploaded?
  13. Upload documentation from the school you plan to attend that shows your total cost of attendance.
  14. Where will you live during the academic year for which you are applying?
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
  18. 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?
  19. 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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