INTRODUCTION
The Greater Washington Urban League (GWUL) has guided individuals, families, and regional governments through systemic challenges over the past 80 years. In that time, GWUL has impacted over five million lives, using the approaches of social work, advocacy, and other disciplines. As a staple in our community, GWUL works tirelessly for a just and more equitable society, serving residents in Washington, DC, Montgomery County and Prince George’s County, MD. GWUL manages and administers programs in: education; employment training; housing and community development; health promotion; financial literacy; and emergency assistance. Our mission is to ensure everyone in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area is on the road to self-sufficiency through a variety of innovative programs. In doing so, it’s essential to increase the economic empowerment of the Black community to share equally in the responsibilities and rewards of full citizenship.
As an important and long-standing manifestation of its mission, the Greater Washington Urban League (GWUL) and its young professionals’ auxiliary, Thursday Network (TN) are committed to awarding educational opportunities through scholarships for college students. In conjunction with numerous corporate sponsors, GWUL has facilitated the distribution of more than $2 million in scholarships to more than 300 young adults to financially support their freshman year at any accredited four-year college or university in the United States. Scholarship recipients have matriculated to a diverse and elite range of higher education institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, local colleges, Ivy League, and other colleges/universities, as well as the Job Corps and other post-secondary education and trade establishments.
For the 2019-2020 school year, the Greater Washington Urban League will award several scholarships to deserving college students, ranging from $1,000 to $8,000. All scholarship disbursements are for tuition and will be delivered directly to the bursar’s or student accounts office of the student’s school for the fall term 2020.
About GWUL’s Young Professionals’ Auxiliary,
Thursday Network:
Thursday Network is the young professionals’ auxiliary of the Greater Washington Urban League (GWUL) and supports community service and civic engagement efforts in the Washington Metropolitan area. Thursday Network’s vision is to be a catalyst for change in the Greater Washington community by serving as a training ground for our members to improve community and self. For the 2019-2020 term, Thursday Network’s pillars reflect the most urgent needs of the community. The pillars are Community Engagement, Political Advocacy, Social Determinants of Health, Youth Empowerment, and Economic Security. Through the leadership of the Community Service Committee, Thursday Network has developed several outreach efforts that benefit children, youth, the elderly, and the environment.
2019 GWUL SCHOLARSHIP SPONSORS
Monumental Sports Scholarship
LINK Strategic Partners Scholarship
Safeway Scholarship
Thursday Network “I EMPOWER” Scholarship
Charlotte Elizabeth Yancey Eights Scholarship
Charlotte Elizabeth Yancey Eights Scholarship
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Gerardo Hernandez
Bell Multicultural High School
Yancey Eights Scholarship ($8,000)
Lauryn Renford
Thurgood Marshall Academy
Monumental Sports Scholarship ($8,000)
Aria Jackson
Archbishop Carroll High School
Link Strategic Partners Scholarship ($5,500)
Salim Muhammed
Wheaton High School
Safeway Scholarship ($2,500)
Maritza Mundo-Barillas
Bell Multicultural High School
Safeway Scholarship ($2,500)
Jessica Amaya-Zuniga
Bell Multicultural High School
Safeway Scholarship ($2,500)
2019 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
Kyla Alston
Barrie School
Thursday Network “I EMPOWER” Scholarship ($2,000)
Kalkidan Haille
E.L. Haynes High School
Thursday Network “I EMPOWER” Scholarship ($2,000)
Beni Lavodrama
Phelps ACE High School
Thursday Network “I EMPOWER” Scholarship ($2,000)
Andrea Golli
James Hubert Blake High School
Thursday Network “I EMPOWER” Scholarship ($1,000)
Julianna Kophi
Frederick Douglass High School
Thursday Network “I EMPOWER” Scholarship ($1,000)
Huzeyfa Telha
Theodore Roosevelt High School
Thursday Network “I EMPOWER” Scholarship ($1,000)
Dominique Johnson
McKinley Technology High School
Thursday Network “I EMPOWER” Scholarship ($1,000)
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ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
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In order to be eligible to receive a Greater Washington Urban League Scholarship, one must:
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Have a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 based on a 4.0 scale;
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Plan to attend a four-year college or university in the Fall of 2020;
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Demonstrate a commitment to community service;
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Demonstrate financial need
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Adjusted gross family income must follow provided guidelines;
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Be Black/African American, African, Afro-Caribbean, and/or Afro-Latino;
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Be a permanent resident and/or attend high school in the District of Columbia, Montgomery County (MD), or Prince George’s County (MD); and
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Complete and submit all application materials online no later than February 28, 2020.
APPLICATION CHECKLIST
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Your application will not be considered complete unless it includes each of the following documents and is submitted by February 28, 2020.
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SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION AND APPLICATION SUBMISSION SESSIONS
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January 31, 7:00-8:00pm- Scholarship Information Session at GWUL
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February 15, 11:30am-2:30pm-Application Submission Session at GWUL
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February 16, 11:30am-2:30pm-Application Submission Session at GWUL
The application submission sessions are for applicants in need of computer and WIFI access to submit their applications. We recommend applicants bring their application materials (e.g. essays and financial information) on a flash drive or saved to a cloud server or in their email. The submission sessions are not for applicants to work on writing their essays and no essay writing assistance will be provided.
SUBMISSION RESOURCES
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FAFSA Application- https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa
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Scholarship Essay Writing- https://www.owens.edu/writing/scholarship.html