AAAANCC Nicholas Hood Memorial Scholarship

The African American Alumni Association of North Central College (AAAANCC) Nicholas Hood Memorial Scholarship is an outside scholarship for African-American students, awarded through the generosity of the African American Alumni Association of North Central College.

Eligibility:

• Applicants must be in good standing at the time the application is submitted;
• Entering sophomore, junior or senior year in the upcoming fall semester;
• U.S. Citizen; and
• African-American descent.
• Selection is necessarily subjective but the African American Alumni Association will look for students who are making progress toward a degree and show awareness of our interconnectedness through non-academic activities.
• The award will be for the use of the student in paying educational costs with no stipulation of allowable expenses.

Applicant’s Submission Procedure:

• Required: Please note that the minimum documents requested must be submitted for an application to be considered.
• Required: Submit a brief essay. It should be 350-550 words in length and include campus and community activities, honors and achievements, future aspirations.
• Required: Include a statement from a professor in your major.
• Optionally, letters of recommendation, as listed on the application may also be submitted and are useful.
• Required: Include evidence of current status and GPA from dean, registrar’s office, department chair, etc. or a copy of your most recent grades report.

Award Procedures:
Awards are granted based upon the quality and content of the essay; applicant having a good academic standing; good faculty statement; applicant’s contribution to the North Central College community and the African-American community at large; and other references.

The African American Alumni Association of North Central College …

• Will announce scholarship winner(s) to the Office of Financial Aid by April 1st
• Will make the award money available through the Financial Aid Office before the start of the fall semester
• Will award a certificate to the recipient(s) at a time to be chosen by the board
• The recipient(s) will be expected to attend an award presentation ceremony, probably the Student Life Leadership Awards
• The recipient(s) may also be asked for a statement at some future date

Helpful Hints from the African American Alumni Association:
1. Follow the rules. Include the documents requested. It’s certainly a good idea to include reference letters from your minister, faculty advisor or mentor, but if the required letter from a professor in your major and your personal essay are not both included, your application will not be considered.
2. Check your essay for spelling, grammar, style and appearance. It’s a good idea to have a third party review your essay for syntax and other errors. Actually, this is a good rule for many kinds of writing, since the person who writes a piece often sees what he/she meant to write, rather than what was actually written.
3. Meet the deadline date in submitting your application, essay, statement from faculty, and transcript.
4. The committee does look for contributions to the African American community and the college at large so be sure to include items that highlight your contributions and activities.
5. Check your essay again. Remember that it is through this essay that the committee will see “you”.

This scholarship is not automatically renewable.