Discus Awards

Don’t have a 4.0 GPA? Don’t worry. There are a number of merit scholarships available for those who don’t have the highest grades or test scores.

If you excel in multiple areas, the Discus Awards College Scholarship might the scholarship for you. The Discus Awards College Scholarship provides $2,000 each month of the school year to one Discus Award winner. Discus Award winners are all-around high school students who excel in three of the ten Discus Awards attributes. Whether you’re an artist, academic superstar, and tech guru, or you’re a community service leader, green ambassador, and entrepreneur, the Discus Awards College Scholarship can help you find money for college.

If you’re very involved in your community, a community service award might be for you. The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes honors young people who have made a significant difference to people in the community and to our planet. Twenty-five young leaders are honored each year nationwide. Half of the winners focus their efforts on protecting the environment, while the other half directs their efforts on their communities and fellow citizens. Nominees must have led a remarkable activity that has proved beneficial either to other people, the community, or the planet.

For the most hard-working, ambitions students, there is a scholarship called the AXA Achievement Scholarship. Each year, 52 students (one person from each state, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico,) receive college scholarships of $10,000. This merit scholarship is awarded to students who show an extraordinary amount of determination to reach goals and to succeed in college. In addition, 10 of the 52 students will receive an additional $15,000 college scholarship and the opportunity to have an internship with AXA Equitable.

If you like writing, an essay scholarship might be best for you. One example is the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest. This essay calls on high school students across the country to write an original essay on an elected official who has displayed a great amount of political courage. A “Profile in Courage” essay is a carefully researched essay in which the writer recounts the story of how an elected official risked his or her career to do what was right.

Filed under: Live 'n' Lauren • College Prep • Financial Aid & Scholarships