Scholarship Fund of the Minneapolis Branch of AAUW
Scholarships
Annually, the Scholarship Fund of the Minneapolis Branch of AAUW offers two four-year scholarships to young women graduating from a Minneapolis Public High School with a G.P.A. of at least 3.0, a documented financial need and with the goal of attaining a Baccalaureate degree at an accredited institution.
Beginning in 2018, scholarship recipients will receive $4,000 annually. If the scholar is a student in good academic standing at her college or university, the scholarship will be renewed each of the following three years. The maximum that each scholar could receive is $16,000 over 4 years.
Also beginning in 2018, a Named Scholarship, the Nadia Christensen AAUW Minneapolis Scholarship was first awarded. This scholarship has the same criteria as our other scholarships and will be offered only every four years. The amount of this scholarship is ten percent greater than our other scholarships. The Nadia Christensen scholar receives $4,400 annually.
Applications for 2021 are available in the counseling offices of the Minneapolis Public High Schools, or at www.minneapolis-mn.aauw.net Completed applications must be mailed to the AAUW Minneapolis Branch or sent by email to the following address: aauwscholarship@galemansion.com by Friday, February 5, 2021. All nine members of the Scholarship Board read each application to determine the finalists who will be interviewed. The selection criteria are based on grades, financial need, an essay written by the applicant, information from references, and an interview. Finalists are interviewed in late March or early April by three board members. The recipients are notified no later than May 1.
History
The Scholarship Fund of the Minneapolis Branch was established to provide financial assistance to Minneapolis Public School women graduates to continue their education with the goal of attaining a Baccalaureate degree at an accredited institution. The fund has come a long way in a very short time. The first four-year scholarship was awarded in 2001. In 2012 we established an endowment fund and have achieved a balance of over $500,000 so that we may begin using the earnings to fund at least one scholar per year. In 2020 we awarded 2 new scholarships and renewed 7 scholarships for a total of 9 scholarships. The scholarships are funded by donations from AAUW members and friends. We have now given 4 years of scholarship to 24 young women from Minneapolis Public Schools (over $300,000 in total).
Congratulations!
Kao Chang (Henry High) and Eleanor Craig (Edison) are the winners of our 2020-21 Scholarships.
Scholarship Fund Board Members
Sharon Bigot, President
Linda Blaisdell, Secretary
Rae Cornelius, Treasurer
Ellen Archibald
Jan Bobrowske
Kathie Cerra
Ginny Craig
MaryLee Lyndall
Cindy Matsumoto