Last chance to apply for a 2019 OOIDA scholarship

It’s last call for those wanting to apply for a 2019 OOIDA scholarship.

Applications and all required materials for the 2019 OOIDA Mary Johnston Scholarship Program must be postmarked no later than Feb. 1.

Since the program started in 1998, it has provided about $330,000 to 100 recipients in hopes of assisting the children, grandchildren and legal dependents of OOIDA members receive a higher education.

Each year, one $2,000 scholarship and four $1,000 scholarships are awarded. An alternate is also named each year. The funds are transferred directly to the student’s selected institution and can be renewed for a total of four years.

The funds can be used for tuition or any legitimate school-related expenses. Several of the scholarship recipients have been the first member of their families to attend college.

“This is a wonderful program,” said Andrew King, of the OOIDA Foundation. “With how expensive college is getting, $2,000 or $1,000 may not seem like much, but every little bit helps, and that’s what the winners tell us. That extra amount of money is super helpful to them.”

King said the OOIDA scholarship committee typically receives about 60 applications every year.

“So far, we have received about 15, but we usually get most of them in the final week,” he said.

Go online for PDF versions of the cover letter and application. Each student must submit an application, 500-word essay on the topic indicated on the application and a transcript from high school or from an institution of higher learning.

The students are selected in a blind evaluation conducted by the OOIDA Scholarship Advisory Committee.

Winners will be notified by a letter after OOIDA’s spring board meeting. OOIDA will verify enrollment and deposit the funds directly into the student’s account at the college or technical school of his or her choice. Funds will be available in the first week of August for each year.

The 2018 winners were Rahul Paul, Andrew Inda, Chase Huelle, Hanna Ward, Tony Rice, and Cheriton Renee Johnson. You can learn more about the scholarship program here.