Hillsborough County high school seniors with plans to pursue higher education after graduation have the opportunity to receive thousands of dollars in scholarships simply by completing one straightforward online application, but they need to act quickly.
Hillsborough Education Foundation (HEF), a nonprofit focused on strengthening public education in Hillsborough County, is accepting applications for scholarships until 11:59 p.m. on Wed., Jan. 31.
Approximately 200 scholarships, ranging from $500 to $40,000, will be awarded. Hillsborough County twelfth grade students, as well as eleventh grade students who’ve earned sufficient credits to graduate in May 2024, with aspirations for higher education at a university, community college, technical college or trade school are eligible to apply.
Using HEF’s streamlined process, students only need to complete one online application to determine eligibility for multiple scholarships.
“We can help turn students’ dreams of pursuing higher education into reality, thanks to the generosity of our business partners, community organizations and individual donors,” said HEF Interim CEO Anna Corman. “The great thing about these scholarships is their compounding effect; they make a positive impact on students’ lives, helping alleviate financial burdens for families and contribute to the future of our community.”
Plant City High class of 2023 graduate Akeelah Vickers is glad she took the time to fill out the application. “It was the only scholarship application I filled out and only took about 30 minutes, it was pretty easy,” said Vickers.
She was awarded the $2,500 Think Big For Kids scholarship, which she plans to use at the University of South Florida as she works towards a degree in early childhood education.
She encourages students to apply. “From my perspective, if you’re looking to do something with your life, just apply for whatever you can, there are scholarships for everything so apply, apply, apply,” she said.
Scholarships are awarded based on a variety of criteria such as GPA, field of study, financial need, challenges overcome, school and community service, SAT/ACT scores or extracurricular activity participation. “Some of these scholarships don’t have minimum GPA requirements,” said Angie Anthony, Director of Scholarships for Hillsborough Education Foundation. “The important thing for students to do is to put some effort into your application, get it in by the deadline, and not worry about whether or not you think you’re qualified.”Visit: EducationFoundation.com/SeniorScholarships for a list of available scholarships, criteria and to apply by the January 31st deadline. Recipients will be announced in the Spring of 2024.
In addition, HEF is seeking volunteers to review scholarship applications, each scored by three independent volunteers. Volunteers can review as many or few as they would like online, at their convenience. The review period is February 6 through 28. To volunteer or for scholarship questions, contact HEF at (813) 574-0273.