Scholarship Saturday: Ohio Association for Gifted Children Student Scholarship

By Caroline Rueter, JIF '17

            Hello, and welcome to the Joyce Ivy Foundation blog! This is our first “Scholarship Saturday” post, where we feature scholarships that we think the Joyce Ivy community might be interested in!

            Today’s featured scholarship comes from the Ohio Association for Gifted Children (OAGC). Before I get into the specifics of the scholarship, I want to clarify what the OAGC does. According to their website, “OAGC advances understanding of the needs of the gifted, promotes establishment of programs and services for gifted students, and encourages the exchange of information on the national, state and local level.” The organization advocates for children whom the state of Ohio has identified as gifted/talented according to OAC 3301-51-15. Children can be gifted in one or more of four areas – superior cognitive ability, specific academic ability, visual/performing arts, and creative thinking. To learn more about how the state of Ohio identifies gifted/talented children, you can refer to Section 3324.03 of the Ohio Revised Code.

While OAGC offers many scholarships, the one that I am focusing on in this post is the OAGC student scholarship. According to their website, students can use the scholarship “…for special activities that extend their special talent/interest areas.” I received this scholarship in 2017, and used it to cover part of the cost of a program I did over the summer called National Youth Leadership Forum: Law & CSI. During the weeklong program, I learned about the role of forensic evidence in the justice system by investigating a staged crime scene, hearing from guest speakers, profiling a suspect, and testifying as an expert witness in a mock trial. Without receiving the scholarship, I may not have been able to attend the program, which would’ve meant giving up the chance to learn so much about my future career. I highly recommend applying for this scholarship, as it is a great opportunity to start exploring your passions!

Here is a flowchart that you can use to determine if you are eligible for this scholarship:  

The OAGC will cover up to 75% of the total program cost, with a maximum scholarship of $500. The deadline for the 2017 application was February 15, 2017, but the OAGC has not yet released the 2018 application (this post will be updated once they do). You can receive this scholarship more than once, so don’t hesitate to apply simply because you think you’ll need the scholarship more in the future!

            Below, I’ve included a guide to filling out the OAGC student scholarship application. You can utilize this guide to navigate the application process, or simply to decide if this scholarship is right for you.

Guide:

1. Nominator Form:   The nominator form must be filled out by a current member of OAGC. It asks for general information about the nominator, as well as a statement of support for the scholarship applicant. This statement should highlight what makes the student exceptional, and why they should receive the OAGC student scholarship. My nominator was one of my mom’s friends, but if you don’t know any OAGC members personally, you can reach out to your OAGC regional representative to see if they can help. 
2. Parent Form:   The parent form, shockingly, must be filled out by the applicant’s parent. It asks for general information about the parent and a written response. This written response gives the parent an opportunity to provide additional insight into their child, such as financial difficulties, unique hobbies, and so on. My mom talked about how being twice-exceptional (gifted with a learning disability) has been difficult for me, but I have always worked hard to overcome my struggles, even before I was diagnosed. The parent form also asks for details about whom the check should be made out to if the applicant is awarded the scholarship. If this information is not included, the application will be rejected, so make sure to contact the program directors if you aren’t sure! 
3. Eligibility Form:   The eligibility form must be filled out by the applicant’s gifted coordinator or guidance counselor. It asks for general info about the gifted coordinator / guidance counselor, proof that the applicant has been identified as gifted, and what areas the applicant is gifted in. I attend a private high school, so my guidance counselor does not have access to the test scores that were originally used to identify me as gifted. Instead, she included my test scores from the High School Placement Test (HSPT) and the PSAT. My scores on these tests proved that I have “superior cognitive ability” (that sounds pretentious, I’m sorry), which made me eligible for the scholarship.
4. Media Release Form:   The media release form is pretty self-explanatory, so I won’t go into too much detail, but it is important to know that both the applicant and their parent must sign this form.  
5. Essay:   The essay is to be completed by the applicant. It asks the student to explain why they believe they should receive the scholarship specifically for the program they are planning to use it for, as well as how participating in the program will impact you and those around you. I talked about my fascination with crime-solving that began at a young age, my plans to work for the FBI or the CIA, and how learning about law and CSI would allow me to pursue my dream of helping others. I also discussed the specific activities that I would be engaging in during the program, to prove that I had done my research and knew what I was getting into.
6. Copy of Program Brochure:   You’ll also need to include a copy of the brochure for the program you’re attending. 
7. Letter of Recommendation:   The letter of recommendation is very important. Although you only need one letter, there are three types of recommendations you can submit. The first is the educational recommendation, which should come from someone who interacts with the student in an academic environment. This could be a school principal, teacher, guidance counselor, gifted coordinator, and so on. My letter of recommendation came from my AP US History teacher, who was also one of the moderators for my school’s Model UN program. She had previously written a letter of recommendation for my Joyce Ivy Foundation scholarship application, so she was able to use the same letter with a little bit of editing. The prompt for this letter of recommendation asks that the writer explain why the applicant is specifically qualified to receive this scholarship, so if you ask someone to submit the same letter as they did on another application, make sure they know that! The second is the civic recommendation, which should come from someone who interacts with the student in the community. This could be a church leader, a service coordinator, an employee at a nonprofit that the applicant frequently volunteers at, and so on. For example, when I applied to be in National Honor Society at my school, I asked one of the adult leaders of a philanthropy program I was involved in to write my letter of recommendation. The third is the personal recommendation, which should come from someone who has interacted with the student in another environment for at least a year and is not a parent or family member. You might ask a family friend, piano instructor, theatre director, coach, or someone like that to write this type of recommendation. There is also a form that goes along with the letter of recommendation, which asks for general information about the recommender.
8. Applicant Information Form:   The applicant information form should be filled out by the applicant. It asks for general information about the applicant, the program name and total cost, the amount requested for the scholarship, and how the remaining cost of the program will be paid. The total cost of the program I attended (NYLF: Law & CSI) was a little over $2000, so I requested a $500 scholarship from OAGC. I explained that the remaining cost would be paid off with money I made at work, as well as additional scholarships I was applying for from the program itself.

If you have any questions about this scholarship, OAGC, or anything else related to this post, feel free to reach out to me! And if you do apply for and receive this scholarship, I’d love to hear about it! I can be reached at carolinerueter7@gmail.com.