What would a scholarship do for me?

[Editor’s note: This is part of a series on scholarships courtesy of the Greater Jefferson County Foundation.]

What would a scholarship do for me?

The definition of a scholarship is:

“a grant or payment made to support a student's education, awarded on the basis of academic or other achievement…”

In 2022, The Greater Jefferson County Foundation awarded nearly $156,000 in scholarships. This was an increase of 16% from 2021.

Over 123 applications were received, and of those, 63 scholarships were awarded to 46 FHS and Pekin Senior students.

93% of the recipients are attending Iowa colleges, universities or trade schools. 7% are headed out of state. Of that 93%, 20 colleges, universities or trade schools are represented.

GJCF has three scholarships available that focus on education; two with major criteria of Conservation or Horticulture; two with emphasis on Math or Science; one for someone majoring or minoring in instrumental music; two with a focus on Agriculture; two with a major or minor in Music and one with an emphasis on Community Service.

GJCF Scholarship applications open December 1 and ends at 4 p.m. Feb. 1. The website for application is www.gjcfscholarships.org.

In addition to the GJCF scholarships, the Jefferson County Community is extremely fortunate to share in many community scholarships awarded by a plethora of local businesses and organizations. Criteria for these local scholarships include Art, 4-H, Business, Advertising, Computer and many Open scholarships.

Students in the Fairfield, Cardinal and Pekin High Schools are encouraged to apply for as many scholarships for which they qualify. Contact your high school counselors for more information on what scholarships are available to you.