The purpose of this email is to share information regarding two scholarship opportunities for an exceptional high school senior woman students of the Class of 2022, who are planning to attend an accredited post-secondary educational institution in the US or Canada beginning in Fall 2022. These scholarships are available through an organization called P.E.O. which is an international philanthropic sisterhood that promotes educational opportunities for women. P.E.O. is making a difference in the lives of women all over the world with more than 113,000 women benefiting from our organization's educational grants, loans, awards, and special projects.
As members of Chapter BK of P.E.O. in Athens, we are reaching out to ask if you would identify an outstanding senior woman candidate that we might interview as a potential candidate for these scholarships. The first scholarship is called the P.E.O. Star Scholarship (STAR) is for $2500 and is open to qualified women from the US and Canada. The eligibility requirements you should consider in recommending a candidate for STAR are:
- Exhibits excellence in leadership, academics, extracurricular activities, community service and potential for future success
- Has a minimum cumulative unweighted GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
- Is in the final academic year (senior year) of her secondary education and is 20 years of age or under at the end of the calendar year
- Is a citizen or legal permanent resident of the United States or Canada
- Plans to attend an accredited postsecondary educational institution in the United States or Canada, full-time or part-time, in the fall of the academic year following high school graduation
- Is recommended by and receives the vote of a local P.E.O. chapter
The attached document describes the scholarship, eligibility requirements, and application process for STAR. More details about P.E.O. and STAR can be found at: www.peointernational.org (look under: About P.E.O. and P.E.O. Projects). The student that you recommend will first be interviewed by a committee of women from our local P.E.O. chapter. Our chapter is only allowed to nominate one woman per year for this scholarship, so we may interview more than one candidate during the selection process. Then upon approval by our chapter, we will submit a letter of recommendation for the candidate which is due between August 15 and October 15. The candidate is then given an additional 30 calendar days to complete the online application.
The second scholarship is called the Georgia P.E.O. Scholarship which is open to residents of Georgia. The eligibility requirements are similar to those of STAR except the GPA requirement is increased to 3.25, financial need is a consideration, and the deadline for application for both the student and the chapter portion of the application is November 30. The award amount for this scholarship varies based on financial need from $1000 up to $2,500. We have attached a document providing more detailed information on the Georgia P.E.O. Scholarship. Our chapter may nominate more than one woman per year for this scholarship, and we may also elect to nominate the same woman for both scholarships if all necessary criteria are met.
We are here to answer any questions you might have regarding the P.E.O. STAR and Georgia Scholarships. We will also be assisting the successful candidate as she moves through the scholarship application process. As mentioned, time is of the essence in our being able to nominate a worthy candidate this year. If you have a possible candidate in mind, please provide them with the attached information, and ask them to complete and submit the attached "Candidate Information for P.E.O. STAR and P.E.O. Georgia Scholarships" form. These should be emailed to us at the address listed below by no later than Friday, August 20th.
Thank you so much for your time,
Valerie Hinesley - vhinesley@bellsouth.net, Projects Coordinator
