UCR School of Education Essay Scholarship Deadline: April 6, 2026
Amount: 1st $200, 2nd $75, 3rd $50
Description: In the book The Last Cuentista, the main character, Petra, uses her family’s stories (cuentos) to remember the past and protect important memories. Her stories help her stand up against a future where people are forced to forget who they are. In real life, a young girl named Sylvia Méndez and her family used their personal story to fight unfair school laws that separated students based on race. Their story helped change the law and made schools more fair for everyone. Your essay challenge is to write an essay explaining how stories can be powerful tools. Show how storytelling can be used to: Keep culture, history, and memories alive, Stand up to unfairness or help people understand what is right, You may use examples from The Last Cuentista and the story of Sylvia Méndez to support your ideas, but do not just retell their stories. Use them as evidence to explain your thinking. Connect It to You: Now think about a story that is important to you, your family, or your community. Share that story and explain: Culture & Memory: How does this story help protect your culture, identity, or important memories? Fairness & Justice: How can telling this story challenge something unfair or help others understand justice? Why It Matters: Why is this story important to you and your community today? Your goal is to explain how storytelling works and show how its power connects to your own life and experiences.
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Young Scholars Program Deadline: April 29, 2027
Amount: Varies
Description: Complete an online application, including report cards, completed parent/guardian forms, two academic recommendations, answers to three short-answer prompts limited to 200 words, and one essay limited to 350 words. Eligibility: Open to students entering 8th grade in the fall of 2026 who demonstrate unmet financial need. Amount: Scholarship awards vary, but all include educational and college advising as well as financial support from 8th to 12th grades.
Amount: up to $25,000
Description: Submit a 1–2-minute video in which you describe a new invention or solution that could solve or impact an everyday problem that directly affects you, your family, your community, and/or the global population. Eligibility: Open to students in grade 5–8.