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2024 Scholarship

The Charles River Regional Chamber is pleased to offer scholarship opportunities for up to four deserving students who either live in Needham, Newton, Watertown or Wellesley and/or who attend school in Needham, Newton, Watertown or Wellesley and who plan to attend an accredited post-secondary program, trade school, community college, college, or university full-time in the next academic year. The student(s) selected will have a check (approximately $2,000) sent to their institution to be applied toward tuition upon successful completion of their first semester.

Selection will be made by a panel of local leaders who will review all applications completed by the submission deadline of March 29, 2024 at 5 pm. Decisions will be made based on a combination of the application’s completeness and accuracy, letter of recommendation and responses to essay questions.

Scholarship Eligibility and Selection Criteria:

  1. The applicant must fulfill high school graduation requirements as part of the graduating class of 2024.
  2. The applicant must be planning to attend an accredited post-secondary program, trade school, community college, college, or university full-time during the 2024/25 academic year. Students planning to take “gap years” in the 2024/2025 academic year will not be considered. 
  3. The application must be submitted electronically by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 29, 2024.
  4. The committee will determine at its discretion what criteria to apply in making the award, and what weight to give each criterion. Criteria that have been considered in the past (and that the committee anticipates will be accorded significance again this year) include the following:
  • The most significant criterion in the past has been a compelling “story” that shows that the scholarship will make a meaningful difference to the candidate’s ability to finance their program of study and that shows the candidate’s ability to overcome challenges.
  • Another important consideration is whether the applicant shows a history of demonstrated effort (either academically, in community/extracurricular activities, in work, etc.), which indicates that the candidate has a good chance of succeeding. 
  • Recommendations from teachers, guidance counselors, and others who have worked with the candidate and can comment on the applicant’s character and worthiness to receive a scholarship. Note that, although the standard school guidance counselor recommendation is sufficient, it is our experience that having additional recommendations from teachers or other adults who know the applicant more personally tends to enhance the application.  Also, having a recommendation from a teacher who can speak to the candidate’s academic abilities is important.
  • Children and grandchildren of employees and/or directors of the Chamber are not eligible to receive a Chamber scholarship.
  • The scholarship recipient must present proof of successful completion of their first college semester. Scholarship payment will be sent to the institution to be applied towards tuition or related costs. The Charles River Regional Chamber reserves the right to contact the institution to determine the best method of payment to maximize the benefit to the recipient.

 

Instructions to Applicant:

All applications should be submitted online through this form. Supplemental materials listed below can be uploaded via the online form OR emailed to scholarship@charlesriverchamber.com.

  • Essay of 300-350 words  on one of the following topics
    •  An important experience relating to community service that you performed during your high school years;
    • How you demonstrated leadership ability either in or out of school;
    • A difficult personal or academic challenge you faced and how you overcame it.
  • a copy of your Transcript (unofficial is ok)
  • Letter of Recommendation from a teacher, employer, guidance counselor, or another person other than a relative. You may submit up to three such Letters of Recommendation via the online application form or via your guidance counselor (email to scholarship@charlesriverchamber.com).
    • We strongly recommend that at least one of your Letters of Recommendation be from a person who knows you well (e.g., a teacher, coach, employer, or close family friend).  It is our experience that such letters typically give the Scholarship Committee a much better sense of who you are and what your circumstances are than a general letter from a school official who might not know you as well.

CLICK HERE FOR SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION FORM

The applications are due by 5:00 p.m. on Fri. March 29, 2024

All information contained in the submittal will be kept confidential.

If you have any questions or difficulties accessing the application, please contact Maxime Isaac at 617-500-6464 or email misaac@charlesriverchamber.com