Genworth Veterans Forum Scholarship $1,000

The Genworth Veterans Forum scholarship provides a financial education award to the child of a current or former member of the U.S. Military. Scholarships are awarded to students who have exemplified excellence through their school work and community service. This scholarship is intended to highlight the achievements of excellent students and to honor the service of veterans in our community. Students will be rewarded for their leadership as shown through their values and actions both in the classroom and in their service to others. Any high school senior who is the child of an honorably discharged veteran or current service member and who has demonstrated hard work in school and in the community is encouraged to apply. Qualifications: 1. Current high school senior 2. Must attend a four year college or university, junior college or trade school in the upcoming academic year 3. Must be the child of a veteran who was honorably discharged from the armed forces or who is still a serving member of the active or reserve components. 4. Must provide suitable documentation which established the family member’s service and honorable discharge status. (DD-214, discharge certificate or other applicable documents)

Considerations for selection: - Academic rigor: It is important that students select and look for a challenging academic high school experience. Their school and course selection is therefore important since it may be indicative of their drive, perseverance, ability and desire to succeed.

- GPA: A strong GPA is desirable; however, this will be taken into context depending on the student’s circumstances, and family situation, among other factors.

- SAT/ACT scores: It is highly desirable that applicants take at least one set of tests, but is not a requirement depending upon their circumstances. Special consideration may be given if the university or school that they are attending in the fall does not require such tests.

- Community service: Students must show a strong passion and interest in their community and need to have demonstrated so in a concrete manner. Service can be with school, church, or community organizations.

- Essays provided as part of the application process: Thoughtful and well written essays can provide insight into the type of student and person the applicant is and how much they care about this scholarship.

- Veteran Interview: In order to understand the value that veterans bring to our communities, it is important to understand their experiences and perspectives. Applicants will conduct an interview with their veteran parent to gain an understanding of the

Page 1 of 6 challenges and sacrifices made by veterans while serving their country. If the family veteran is deceased or otherwise unavailable, a substitute veteran can be interviewed.

- Candidate interview:After review of submitted applications, the Genworth Veterans Forum will select a number of finalists to be interviewed in person at one of the Genworth Offices. Only one scholarship will be awarded.

Candidate Application Checklist 1 Provide suitable documentation which establishes the family member’s service and honorable discharge status 2 Provide academic transcripts for all four years of high school 3 If taken, provide official scores for the SAT or ACT 4 Complete demographic portion of the application 5 Complete application essay 6 Complete veteran interview 7 Scan all required documents and send to the Genworth Veterans Forum no later than May 29, 2015 at the following email address: [email protected]

Essay Topic In no more than 500 words, explain the value that veterans bring to their communities and why you feel it is import to honor their service to our country. (Please submit your essay as a separate document. Submit essay as a MS Word Document or PDF. All essays should be double spaced and written in 12 point font.)

Page 2 of 6 Applicant Demographic Information

First and Last Name

Email Address

High School

Graduation Date

Cumulative High School GPA

SAT and or ACT Scores SAT: ACT:NA (Circle NA if you were not required to take either of these tests)

Name of parent who served in the military

In which branch did they serve?

How long did they serve in the military?

First and last name of your school guidance counselor

Page 3 of 6 Guidance counselor’s email address

Guidance counselor’s office phone number

Please list the schools that you have been accepted to attend in the fall of 2015. 1 2 3 4 5

From the above list of schools, please indicate which school you plan to attend.

Please list all extracurricular activities you participated in as a student at your school. Team, Club or Group Your Role Years of Participation

Please list community service activities you have participated in during your time in high school. Organization How Did You Contribute Hours Devoted Years of Participation

Page 4 of 6 Veteran Interview The veteran interview is a mandatory portion of this application. If your veteran parent is not available for any reason, it is expected that you will search your network of friends, family and teachers to find a veteran who is willing to participate in this process. If you are interviewing anyone other than your parent, please fill in the below boxes. Name of veteran

How do you know the veteran?

Veteran’s branch of service

(Please submit your interview results as a separate document. Submit the interview results as a MS Word Document or PDF. Interview responses should be double spaced and written in 12 point font.)

Applicant Signature:

Page 5 of 6 Name Date

Veteran Interview Questions

1. Please tell me which branch of the military you served in and the time frame in which you served. 2. Please tell me what your job was in the military and what an average day on the job was like for you. 3. Please tell me what motivated you to join the military and what drove you to select the branch you served with. 4. Did you serve overseas while you were in the military? If so, what other countries did you travel to as a service member? 5. Do you think that your time in the military played a part in making you the person that you are today? If so, can you please explain? 6. Some people say that the friends you make in the military are some of the best friends you will ever have. Do you believe this and if so, why do you think it is true? 7. Do you think the American people, in general, are supportive of veterans? If there is room for improvement, what could Americans do to be more supportive? 8. What benefits do you think veterans bring to our community? 9. What are you the most proud of when you look back on your time in the military? 10. If you could give one piece of advice to a young person who is thinking about joining the military what would it be?

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