Alida Smith Memorial
Scholarship Application

For those attending community college/college/university at the undergraduate or graduate level


INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Complete the form below.
  2. Attach the following supporting documents to your application:
    1. Essay. See prompts below.
    2. Copy of your most recent academic transcript.
    3. Documentation of any financial need - for example, a copy of the last page of your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), verification of free/reduced lunch, relevant pages from other scholarship applications, or a description of your specific circumstances demonstrating financial need.

Please submit your application and documents by May 31, 2023 to be considered.

APPLICATION FORM

ESSAY - maximum length: 650 words

Choose ONE of the following essay prompts taken from the Common Application Essay Prompts for 2023 - 2024 and write a response. Make sure to choose the essay prompt that most aligns with your passions and experience.
If you have already received an Alida Smith scholarship and are applying again, please select a different essay prompt from the one(s) you used previously.


  1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. 
  2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
  3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
  4. Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
  5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
  6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or whom do you turn to when you want to learn more?

Attach your essay as a Word doc or a PDF, your transcript, and your documentation of any financial need here.