KUWAIT 08.22.2020 –
College today can be very expensive as most people know or have found out the hard way. However, the Rainbow Division Veterans Foundation has a way to help with that cost.
The RDVF approves up to $20,000 annually to give out to applicants toward college expenses.
“I received $5,000 for college,” said Sgt. Andrew Valenza, a member of the 42nd Infantry Division public affairs section.
The scholarship is open to current Soldiers of the division in good standing, or a descendant of a Soldier who has served in the division and is a lifetime member of the Rainbow Division Veteran Foundation.
According to the foundation, a descendant is defined as all spouses, children, spouses of children, and all blood and adopted children and their spouses.
“The application process wasn’t hard,” said Valenza. “I just had to get a sponsor and write an essay.”
To apply for the scholarship, applicants must provide a letter of nomination, official high school transcripts, and two letters of recommendation: one from a school representative and a second general character reference. Applicants must also submit an essay describing their school career, hobbies, relationship to the sponsor, and finally, what their service means to them.
The application period to apply is from March 1 through July 15 each year. Applicants must be a graduating high school senior accepted to college, enrolled in college or eligible to attend college.
Additionally, the scholarship is for undergraduate students only currently.
This year's scholarship winners will be announced in early September.
According to the foundation’s website, the scholarship committee weighs each applicant utilizing a merit evaluation process. Additionally, the committee examines an applicants’ academics, extracurricular activities, committee member assessment and applicant essay. Individual scholarships have ranged from $1,000 to $5,000 in past years but scholarship amounts, and numbers are based on available funds.
For more information and the application, please visit the website https://dmna.ny.gov/family/docs/scholarships/RDVF-Scholarship-Instructions.pdf or call 1-585-507-8363.