Scholarships Available

The Newtown High School Career Center publicizes all scholarships of which it is notified.

A few of the scholarships, typically national ones, request that money be enclosed with the application. The Career Center believes that students should not have to pay to apply for scholarships. If a student chooses to apply for a scholarship that charges a fee, however, the Career Center strongly advises parents and students to check its authenticity through the FTC Consumer Response Center, www.ftc.gov or 877-FTC-HELP; the National Fraud Information Center, www.fraud.org or 800-876-7060; or the Better Business Bureau, www.bbb.org or 703-276-0100.

Young Agriculturalist Achievement Award — One $500 award will be presented to a deserving Fairfield County student between the age of 16 and 25, who has made a significant contribution within any of the numerous and varied aspects of agriculture. The recipient is invited to attend the annual Fairfield County Farm Bureau Annual Meeting in October. Applications are available at www.fairfieldcountyfarmbureau.org. The application deadline is May 1.

Winning Characteristics Scholarship — This $2,500 award is based on the completion of an essay, a written response to a prompt that involves the usage of seven “winning characteristics.” They are: communication skills, organization skills, leadership, logic, effort, group skills, and entrepreneurship. In 450 to 600 words, the applicant should explain in detail how at least three of these characteristics have been demonstrated during high school. Complete rules and application forms are available at www.makingitcount.com/scholarship. The deadline is June 11.

Kennedy Center Charity Golf Classic Scholarship — High school student golfers in grades nine though 12 who are academic achievers and have demonstrated leadership in the classroom and community are invited to participate in the annual Kennedy Center Golf Classic in June. A current high school transcript and a letter of recommendation from a guidance counselor, golf coach, or school principal are required in the application. This year’s event will be held at The Shorehaven Golf Club in Norwalk on June 22. Student participants who are selected to participate in the Golf Classic tournament will receive a scholarship award of up to $1,000. If an applicant is selected by the committee to be a participant in the tournament, the selected golfer must play golf the day of the event, June 22, and attend the awards ceremony. Applications are available online at www.thekennedycenterinc.org. The application deadline is May 21.

Harold E. Ennes Youth Scholarship — The Ennes Youth Scholarship is a national award program open to graduating high school seniors who have a serious interest in pursuing studies in college that will lead to a career in broadcast engineering or closely related field. Scholarships range from $1,000 to $3,000. Candidates must intend to enroll at a technical school, college, or university in the fall of 2010. Applicants submit an autobiography that includes interests and goals in broadcasting as well as a summary of the anticipated technical changes in broadcasting within the next five years. Applications are available at www.sbe.org/edu_ennes_scholarships.php. The application deadline is July 1. Recipients will named by August 1.

Connex Credit Union Scholarships — Connex Credit Union, a local credit union, is offering three college scholarships to graduating high school seniors who are planning to attend college full-time. Two are for $1,000 and a third is for $2,000 for a student who will study business. Presently enrolled college students are also eligible for these awards. Applicants must demonstrate academic excellence, a grade point average of 3.5 or higher based on a 4.0 scale, and community involvement. Students must also be current Connex members or join after applying. Go to www.connexcu.org and search on scholarships for the application. Completed applications are due by June 1.

Wells Fargo CollegeSTEPS Scholarship Sweepstakes — This is a national scholarship sweepstakes program sponsored by Wells Fargo Bank for 20 $1,000 tuition prizes to high school seniors during the 2009-2010 academic year. Winners are selected at random from October through May from among those students enrolled in the CollegeSTEPS Program. Students should enroll for the opportunity to win the scholarships online at www.wellsfargo.com/collegesteps by May, 30. No purchase is necessary. The drawings in late April and late May 2010 will include students residing in Connecticut.