Benjamin Franklin said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
Metronews and West Virginia Wesleyan are partnering with MVB Bank for this year’s West Virginia Scholar competition. This remarkable program will award a four-year full scholarship to West Virginia Wesleyan College valued at $125,000.
Here’s how it works:
The scholarship is open to every West Virginia high school junior. All they have to do is apply at wvmetronews.com before the April 7th deadline.
The competition will be challenging. Academics are important, but they’re not the only criteria. A student will also be judged on their leadership, community service, character, a written essay and need.
The varied criteria help broaden the base of applicants. One student may not have the best grades, but have extensive community service. Another may draw the attention of the judges because of their essay or their personal story.
I always encourage students to apply, even if they don’t think they have a chance of winning. Often students will underestimate their achievements and how they measure up with the competition.
Additionally, just going through the process is a valuable life lesson. It will help prepare them for other scholarship opportunities.
We’ll initially narrow the field to up to 12 finalists, who will go through an interview process that counts toward the final decision.
Finally, the judges will pick one winner for the four-year scholarship, but the first, second and third runners-up will also qualify for scholarship money from Wesleyan.
This is our sixth year for the program, and every year the judges talk about how difficult it is to pick one winner. We always come away impressed with the quality of the applicants.
Many of the applicants say they hope to stay in West Virginia after graduation. That’s not a standard for the judging, but it’s encouraging when the best and brightest say they want to remain in the Mountain State.
We will bring all the finalists to the Wesleyan campus in Buckhannon in June for the awards ceremony. It’s a special and emotional day, especially when the scholarship winner and his or her family learn that college is paid for in full.
A life changes at that moment.
None of this would be possible without our primary partner, MVB Bank, and our supporting partners, Brickstreet Insurance, the West Virginia Forestry Association, the West Virginia Education Association and Friends of Coal.
So spread the word to any high school junior you know. The 2013 West Virginia Scholar program is under way. Students have until April 7th to register at our website. The chance of a lifetime is waiting.