NFBMA Scholarship for the 2020-2021 academic year

The NFB of Massachusetts is pleased to announce the availability of scholarships for the 2020-2021 academic year. Up to 3 scholarships may be awarded, including 1 for $2,500.00 and 2 for $1,500.00 each. Please read all the instructions carefully and pay close attention to the deadlines.

All applicants must:
• Be legally blind or have a visual impairment that requires the student to obtain services from a teacher of the visually impaired;
• Be a resident of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts;
• Plan to pursue a full-time, postsecondary course of study in the 2020 – 2021 academic year (a part-time candidate from the Springfield area is also eligible for 1 scholarship);
• Applicants must arrange for three reference letters from professors, counselors, and/or employers who have worked with you within the past year to be sent to aruell@comcast.net with the words “reference” and your name in the subject line by January 31, 2020;
• Participate in the entire NFBMA state convention and in all scheduled scholarship program activities to be held February 21-February 23, 2020, at the Embassy Suites, Logan Airport Boston;
• Send a refundable check for $50 made payable to NFBMA to Amy Ruell, 22 Cottage Park Ave., Unit 8, Cambridge, MA, 02140 or go to the NFBMA website at http://www.nfbma.org/ and pay with PayPal or a credit card;
and • Send completed scholarship applications to aruell@comcast.net with the word “scholarship” in the subject line.

Deadline: Applications must be received on or before January 31, 2020.

To scholarship applicants: Please complete this application by placing your responses below the questions. All applications including references must be received by January 31, 2020.

If you have any questions, please contact Amy Ruell, NFBMA President at 781-267-4432 or send an email to aruell@comcast.net with the word “scholarship” in the subject line.

1. Full Name.
2. E-mail address.
3. Preferred and alternate phone number(s).
4. Mailing Address: Street, City, State & ZIP.
5. Date of birth.
6. Do you have any additional disabilities? Please describe.
7. Your school status for the 2018-19 school year (i.e. Freshman, grad student, etc.).
8. Your current or intended field of study.
9. Name of the high school you attended or attend and cumulative GPA.
10. What school will you be attending in the 2020-21 school year? If you don’t know yet, what schools have you made applications to?
11. If you have attended this school for any prior semesters, what is your cumulative GPA?
12. Briefly describe any other undergraduate or graduate institutions you have attended, including dates attended, field of study, GPA, and what degree you received from each institution if applicable.
13. SAT and/or ACT scores, please specify, (only if you will be a freshman in college in 2018)
14. How did you hear about our scholarship program?
15. What do you hope to gain from your experience as a scholarship winner and your time at the NFBMA state convention?
16. Please describe any extracurricular activities or community service you have been involved in; what do you do aside from academics?
17. What is your current career goal and plan for the future; where do you see yourself in five to ten years?
18. How has your blindness impacted your life so far; how do you foresee it affecting your future?
19. What do you think is the most important challenge facing blind students today?
20. Your involvement, if any, in any blindness organization(s).
21. May our student leaders contact you? If so, what is the best way to reach you? Please provide phone and email address.

Please tell us anything else you think we should know about you in evaluating your application. Feel free to list any awards you have received, experiences that reflect who you are or anything else you think we might find of interest.

References: Please note: references must be people who have worked with you in some professional capacity during the past calendar year.
Reference #1: Name, affiliation
Reference #2: Name, affiliation
Reference #3: Name, affiliation