Girls, Inc. Betty Sims Wow Award! Scholarship

The Girls, Inc. Betty Sims Scholarship Fund will annually award a new renewable Wow Award! scholarships to students graduating, or who have recently graduated from high school with a minimum 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale). The applicants must have been active participants in good standing in the Girls Incorporated St. Louis program for at least two years and demonstrate unmet financial need at the two or four-year college or university she attends in the United States. Recipients may be considered for renewal for up to three additional undergraduate years if a renewal application is submitted in a timely manner and academic and financial eligibility criteria continue to be met.

Eligibility
To be eligible, the applicant must

  • be a current participant in Girls Incorporated of St. Louis programming, in good standing, and have participated at least two years
  • be graduating or a recent graduate of a St. Louis area high school with a 3.0 or above GPA (on a 4.0 scale)
  • plan to enroll full-time in an accredited, nonprofit post-secondary two-year or four-year college, university, or technical school in the United States of America
  • demonstrate unmet financial need as determined by standard methods of need analysis in practice at the time of selection. 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
Selection will be based on the student’s academic record, contributions to the communities in which the student lives, the quality of the essay and letter(s) of recommendation, 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.”

Notification
Application status will change from submitted to 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 recipient will attend.

Renewal
Renewal information will come from the St. Louis Community Foundation. Recipients may be considered for renewal for up to three additional undergraduate years if a renewal application is submitted in a timely manner and academic and financial eligibility criteria continue to be met. 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.

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.

Award
up to $2,000, renewable
Deadline
04/15/2024
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. The Girls, Inc. Betty Sims Wow Award! is for participants in the Girls Incorporated St. Louis program who have been active in the organization for at least two years. Does this describe you?
  3. 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.
  4. List any volunteer/community activities, including the activity, the time involved, dates of involvement, and position(s) held:
  5. List any work experience, including company name, dates of employment, hours worked per week, 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. ESSAY: In less than 500 words discuss what the "Wow Factor" means to you; how Girls Inc. has helped you to be strong, smart and bold; and how college will help to further develop these qualities.
  8. Upload your FAFSA Submission Summary for next year.
  9. 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.
  10. What school issued the award letter that you uploaded?
  11. Upload documentation from the school you plan to attend that shows your total cost of attendance.
  12. List the names of any siblings, their age(s), and what school(s) they are attending (if any).
  13. Where will you live during the academic year for which you are applying?
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. 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 Report 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?
  18. 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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