Scholarship
The Bridge Scholarship is a four year financial aid package awarded annually to a high school senior, male or female, from any one of the high schools, public or private, located in Mecklenburg County.
The Bridge Scholarship will be presented annually to the individual who can best present his or her need for financial aid in order to achieve a specific goal or participate in a particular program at any accredited college or university in the United States of America. There are no minimal requirements, academic, athletic or extracurricular; however, each applicant must be accepted to their chosen institution prior to the award of any financial aid.
Applicants must present their intentions in a clear, concise and cogent manner that emphasizes the following attributes:
- Balance
- Character
- Community
- Creativity
- Desire
- Determination
- Ethics
- Goal-orientation
- Hard Work
- Initiative
- Integrity
- Purpose
- Resourcefulness
Application Process/Selection of Finalists
Applicants will complete an official Bridge Scholarship application that can be downloaded and printed from this website. The application requires each applicant to submit standard personal information as well as a compelling justification for financial aid, utilizing whatever form, or combination of forms, they wish to present their plan and themselves to the Selection Committee. Applicants must prepare this portion of the application so that the Committee can clearly read, see or hear the intent, purpose and need of the applicant as long as they meet the following guidelines:
Written submissions must be typed, single spaced and cannot exceed five printed pages – including graphics, attachments, etc.
Audio/Video submissions can be no longer than three minutes and must be presented in a standard format (i.e. – VHS, DVD, Cassette, CD)
A combination of written submissions and alternative media will be accepted, using the same parameters described above.
Note that no audience will be given to applicants by the Committee at this stage.
All applications must be submitted by the designated annual deadline of April 1st. Any applications which are incomplete, illegible or otherwise not in compliance with the stated requirements will be disqualified. A select panel will review all the official applications and recommend four finalists to personally present their case to the entire Bridge Foundation membership.
Finalists’ Presentations/Award Ceremony
Each finalist will be required to personally present their case to the entire membership of the Bridge Foundation – justifying their case for the scholarship award in the most compelling way possible. Each presentation will be followed by a fifteen minute question and answer session involving the applicant and the Bridge Foundation membership.
Following all four finalists’ presentations, the entire Bridge Foundation membership will evaluate and assess the merits of each finalist, their plans, and their presentations. Based on these criteria and those stated as embodying the spirit of the award, a single finalist will be selected to receive the award.
Deadline for Submission
All applications must be received no later than April 12th, 2024.
Submissions should be emailed to: info@thebridgefoundation.net