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Online applications for the 2018 Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Excellence Scholarship can now be submitted at kohleducation.org. A total of 100 students will be chosen to receive $10,000 scholarships from among all applicants throughout the state.
Applicants must be residents of Wisconsin who will graduate from high school in 2018, and plan to continue their education at a college, university or vocational/technical school. Students will be evaluated on academic achievement, leadership, citizenship and school and community activities.
Completed online applications are due Nov. 3 for public high school students, and Nov. 22 for religious, independent and home-schooled high school students. Students should go to kohleducation.org/studentexcellence to learn more and apply.
Online applications for the 2018 Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Excellence Scholarship can now be submitted at kohleducation.org. A total of 100 students will be chosen to receive $10,000 scholarships from among all applicants throughout the state.
Applicants must be residents of Wisconsin who will graduate from high school in 2018, and plan to continue their education at a college, university, or vocational/technical school. Students will be evaluated on academic achievement, leadership, citizenship, and school and community activities. Completed online applications are due Friday, Nov. 3 for public high school students, and Nov. 22 for religious, independent and home-schooled high school students. Students should go to kohleducation.org/studentexcellence/ to learn more and apply.
Selection of recipients will be made by a state-level panel composed of representatives from the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation, Cooperative Educational Service Agencies, Wisconsin Council of Religious and Independent Schools, several education-related associations, and community representatives. Since the program was established in 1990, the Herb Kohl Foundation has awarded 2,800 excellence scholarships valued at $4.4 million to graduating high school students throughout the state.
The Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Excellence Scholarship program is co-sponsored by the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, Wisconsin Council of Religious and Independent Schools, Wisconsin Parents Association and Cooperative Educational Service Agencies.
Zavier Betts' life changed with one phone call on Wednesday night. The 15-year-old Bellevue West sophomore was at home when his coach, Mike Huffman, called.
Huffman told Betts that Nebraska coach Mike Riley wanted to extend a scholarship offer to the receiver.
"The opportunity to play college football is something I have been dreaming about since I was a kid," Betts said. "I started to stroll around my house going 100 miles per hour."
Betts, a 6-foot-2, 187-pound receiver, has strong hands, a large catch radius and the will to fight for balls in the air.
"The way he moves is what separates him," Huffman said. "When he runs, he covers so much ground effortlessly. Sometimes he looks like a gazelle and other times he looks like a baby giraffe."
According to Huffman, Betts does have some things to work on.
"The harder the catch it is, he makes those look easy. The easier the catch, he has a tendency to drop."
South Dakota State was the first to offer Betts, on Sept. 22. Betts went to South Dakota State and Iowa State for unofficial visits.
Betts was surprised to get the offer from Nebraska; he only camped at Nebraska in June and hasn't been to a Husker game in person.
"Both of those game day experiences were really, really important," he said. "It showed me the level of the crowd and how loud it just can be."
"I am extremely shocked. I didn't think I would get an offer this early from Nebraska. They don't really offer a lot of in-state kids, and to get one this early is special," he said. "I wasn't expecting this at all; I am pacing back and forth with excitement."
Betts said he is in no rush to make a commitment and wants to focus on finishing his sophomore season as strong as possible. He has 47 receptions for 847 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. The Class A record for receiving yards in a season is 1,364, held by Bellevue West graduate and Wyoming wide receiver C.J. Johnson.
"Anywhere I can play college football is everything to me and furthering my education," he said. "I am in no rush to make a commitment. I want to finish out the season and play out the majority of my high school career."
Close10. Shane Smith, WR, Bellevue West
Evaluation: Smith has great football instincts with the speed and quickness to take every touch to the end zone. He is particularly good in the screen game. Smith has a smaller frame — 5-foot-9, 155 pounds — but he is a physical athlete and a good run blocker in space.
9. Cedric Case, QB, Lincoln High
Evaluation: Case has a strong arm and can throw on the run. He has nice touch on deep throws and throws the seam and slant routes with some zip. Case also has good mechanics and is an accurate passer outside of the pocket.
8. Caden Johnson, OL/DL, Wahoo Neumann
Evaluation: Johnson is a physical lineman that can get to the second level quickly. He is a tough and physical tackle that plays with an extra level of aggression. Johnson can play both the guard and tackle positions.
7. Ryan Bena, OL, Omaha Creighton Prep
Evaluation: Bena is a very good run blocker and a good athlete. He moves his feet well when pulling as the lead blocker and can block in space on screen plays. Bena has a high motor and rarely gives up on a play.
6. Zander Gray, RB, Omaha North
Evaluation: Gray has a devastating stiff arm and enough quickness to make defenders miss. He has enough speed to separate from defenders and uses his angles well to break long runs. He is a power back that isn't afraid to lower his pad level and run through defenders.
5. Garrett Snodgrass, TE/LB, York
Evaluation: Snodgrass is a true throwback. He can play multiple positions and is a special teams ace. At tight end he is a great in-line blocker with good hands. He has a high motor and a nose for the football at linebacker. He'll line up as the Dukes' wildcat quarterback and is a punishing runner.
4. Dylan Kautz, RB, Norfolk Catholic
Evaluation: Kautz has the ability to score every time he touches the ball. Not only does he have speed — evident by his 4.38-second 40-yard dash and 10.53-second 100-meter dash — but he also has great balance and is not afraid to lower his head and take on tacklers.
3. Chris Hickman, TE, Omaha Burke
Evaluation: Hickman is strong enough to be an in-line blocker but is also athletic enough to stretch the field and catch passes on the outside. He's a tremendous athlete that catches with his hands and is a true red-zone threat.
2. Garrett Nelson, DL, Scottsbluff
Evaluation: Nelson has great measurables and is a quick-twitch athlete. He plays with great intensity and has great punch with his hands to shed blockers.
1. Nick Henrich, LB, Omaha Burke
Evaluation: Henrich is a leader on and off the field. He is a sideline-to-sideline linebacker with great instincts and runs to the ball on virtually every play. He has the frame to add good weight and should as his high school career progresses.
10. Shane Smith, WR, Bellevue West
Evaluation: Smith has great football instincts with the speed and quickness to take every touch to the end zone. He is particularly good in the screen game. Smith has a smaller frame — 5-foot-9, 155 pounds — but he is a physical athlete and a good run blocker in space.
9. Cedric Case, QB, Lincoln High
Evaluation: Case has a strong arm and can throw on the run. He has nice touch on deep throws and throws the seam and slant routes with some zip. Case also has good mechanics and is an accurate passer outside of the pocket.
8. Caden Johnson, OL/DL, Wahoo Neumann
Evaluation: Johnson is a physical lineman that can get to the second level quickly. He is a tough and physical tackle that plays with an extra level of aggression. Johnson can play both the guard and tackle positions.
7. Ryan Bena, OL, Omaha Creighton Prep
Evaluation: Bena is a very good run blocker and a good athlete. He moves his feet well when pulling as the lead blocker and can block in space on screen plays. Bena has a high motor and rarely gives up on a play.
6. Zander Gray, RB, Omaha North
Evaluation: Gray has a devastating stiff arm and enough quickness to make defenders miss. He has enough speed to separate from defenders and uses his angles well to break long runs. He is a power back that isn't afraid to lower his pad level and run through defenders.
5. Garrett Snodgrass, TE/LB, York
Evaluation: Snodgrass is a true throwback. He can play multiple positions and is a special teams ace. At tight end he is a great in-line blocker with good hands. He has a high motor and a nose for the football at linebacker. He'll line up as the Dukes' wildcat quarterback and is a punishing runner.
4. Dylan Kautz, RB, Norfolk Catholic
Evaluation: Kautz has the ability to score every time he touches the ball. Not only does he have speed — evident by his 4.38-second 40-yard dash and 10.53-second 100-meter dash — but he also has great balance and is not afraid to lower his head and take on tacklers.
3. Chris Hickman, TE, Omaha Burke
Evaluation: Hickman is strong enough to be an in-line blocker but is also athletic enough to stretch the field and catch passes on the outside. He's a tremendous athlete that catches with his hands and is a true red-zone threat.
2. Garrett Nelson, DL, Scottsbluff
Evaluation: Nelson has great measurables and is a quick-twitch athlete. He plays with great intensity and has great punch with his hands to shed blockers.
1. Nick Henrich, LB, Omaha Burke
Evaluation: Henrich is a leader on and off the field. He is a sideline-to-sideline linebacker with great instincts and runs to the ball on virtually every play. He has the frame to add good weight and should as his high school career progresses.
A new scholarship is available to radio amateurs. The New England Amateur Radio Festival (NEAR-Fest) Memorial Scholarship, administered by the ARRL Foundation, commemorates NEAR-Fest team members who have become Silent Keys, and is intended to provide funding toward the educational expenses of a currently licensed Amateur Radio operator who is pursuing a post-secondary education.
Applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents, reside in the ARRL New England Division (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts), and have held an Amateur Radio license for at least 1 year prior to the date of application. Preference will be given in descending order of license class as well as to applicants pursuing full-time studies at a 4-year undergraduate degree-granting institution, pursuing post-graduate studies (any degree), or enrolled in radio communications at a 2-year technical school.
The initial scholarship will be awarded for the 2018-2019 academic year. Scholarships are for the exclusive use of the winner to be applied to tuition, books, mandatory fees, on-campus housing, and other bona fide educational expenses.
The ARRL Foundation is currently accepting applications from eligible radio amateurs pursuing higher education. More than 80 scholarships ranging from $500 to $5,000 will be awarded in 2018. All applicants must submit a completed online application. Transcripts are due by February 15, 2018.
The process of reviewing applications and choosing our Floret Workshop Scholarship winners is one of the high points of the year for the entire team. While reading all of the heartfelt stories that our in from all corners of the globe, we learn so much about the hopes, dreams, fears and frustrations of our flower tribe. There are always common themes including the intense joy that flowers provide when shared, the memories they spark when smelled, and the connections they create with the people who receive them. Inevitably, more than a few essays bring us to tears.
Providing the opportunity to share what I've learned over the last decade as a flower farmer has been one of the greatest and most unexpected joys on this flower-filled journey. And gifting this opportunity to those who may not otherwise be able to participate in a workshop continues to be extremely important to me.
I'm thrilled to be offering a total of five scholarships for our 2018 Floret Online Workshop. We are accepting applications now through Monday October 30th. In this past Monday's scholarship announcement on the blog, I asked the three winners of last year's scholarships to share a little bit about their experience. You can read their essays and learn more about applying here.
To kick it off, Flora Brown of Frinklepod Farm in Arundel, Maine who received a scholarship to attend one of our 2016 Flower Farming Intensives is here with us. Named for a character in a favorite children's book (Uno's Garden, by Graeme Base) Frinklepod Farm is the four acre diversified farm where Flora and her family grow vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers.
When I applied for the Floret scholarship in early 2015, I truly felt like my life was at a turning point. I had been running the business end of our veg farm for three years, had two young kids, and was growing flowers "on the side" – i.e. in-between everything else, i.e. at the bottom of the priority list. But the simultaneous, synergistic realizations that I was totally in love with flowers AND that I was ready to apply 100% of myself to something that was all mine is what drew me to learning about Floret and to the dream of winning the scholarship.
The Floret workshop experience not only confirmed these two epiphanies and provided tons of factual information, but most of all exposed me to other amazingly hardworking, driven, talented and creative women – Erin, her team, and all of the other participants – which boosted my self-confidence and reinforced my hunch that I was indeed on the right path. Thanks to this workshop and Erin's approach to flowers and business, I am proud to consider myself not just a farmer-florist but also an entrepreneur and a creative – identities which just a few years ago I would never have had the confidence to embrace. Flowers totally excite me and I am also excited by how to share them tangibly with others, how to educate and inspire othe rs to enjoy flowers, and how to make an honest living in doing so.
I also want to mention that this is the second season that I have had a seasonal apprentice who works on all things flowers with me and this has been such a huge and wonderful thing for me. At first I worried that I was too much of an amateur to mentor someone else, but being in the mentor role has made me so much better at my work (research shows that you learn best by teaching) and keeps me motivated to get through long days and inspired to keep pushing myself and learning more. Plus, there is that awesome feeling of helping nurture along another person who is about to go off and do more awesome work in the world, whether it is flower-related or not. There is so much to be said for learning with others and feeling connected to a somet hing that is so much greater than yourself, your piece of land, your business…. I truly believe this and thank Floret for being a constant reminder of the power of the flower community!
I love beginners boldness! It has always been my biggest fuel on this flower farm project. So going more than 3000 miles to attend the very first Floret workshop was not a problem. And I am glad I made it! 4 years ago, on that spring day I left my very first flower farm freshly started after another cold winter to fly to Floret.
I had invested all I had, time and (not much) money to make the flower farm come to life. I dug trenches, dissasembled and re-assembled greenhouses, designed and installed the irrigation system just to name a few. Alone. With 3 kids!
I had searched hours and hours on the web for all the info I could get on growing flowers without chemicals and in an intensive/no-tractor way. I had never really made a bouquet before attending the workshop! It was a dream do get my hands on magnificent flowers to practice on many kind of arrangements.
Four years later, (still got the kids!) the flower farm is running better and better! The production gets stronger every year and all of it makes me deeply happy. The farm welcomes long term wwoofers (interns) during the season which helps a lot. This year we got some new greenhouses, made arrangements for beautiful weddings, expanded our distribution to ethical supermarkets and had a good number of supporters either with the subscriptions or at the farmers market!
If you are ready to jump-start your flower-focused business with a little help from Floret, I strongly encourage you to apply for a Floret Scholarship. Learn more and apply–but don't delay, applications will only be accepted through October 30th.
We can't wait to hear from you!
BIG SANDY, Tenn. - A fundraiser has been set for the Sonny Melton scholarship fund. Melton lost his life during the Las Vegas Massacre while shielding his wife from bullets.
His death has sent shock waves through the small Tennessee town of Big Sandy.
His wife, Heather Melton, has been working to raise money for both a scholarship fund and a silent auction fundraiser being held this Wednesday in Paris, Tennessee.
Wednesday's fundraiser will be held at the Krider Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $15. Donations can be made online on the scholarship fund website or checks can be mailed to Apex Bank at P.O. Box 549 Camden, TN 38220.
The Kano State government has spent N1,874,261,573.80 on foreign and local scholarships, it was learnt yesterday.
Commissioner for Information Mohammed Garba stated this to counter speculations that the government has failed in its obligation.
Garba, who addressed reporters yesterday, insisted that no Kano student, under the Ganduje-led administration, has been sent home for unpaid tuition and upkeep allowances.
According to him, the government is sponsoring over 61,989 students, both locally and internationally, saying the government's special intervention was for 10 months.
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Photo by David Richfield/Slashme, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikimania—an annual conference where volunteer editors from around the globe gather to celebrate, discuss, and plan for the future of the Wikimedia projects—is typically attended by up to a thousand people, with a portion of them being subsidized by scholarships that cover travel and lodging.
The scholarships are overseen, and recipients chosen, by a committee of volunteer editors. Applications were accepted in January and February for last year's Wikimania. To find out more about how the process works, community member Syed Muzammiluddin interviewed committee member David Richfield (User:Slashme). Richfield, a native of South Africa, is also actively helping to plan for Wikimania 2018, which will be held in Cape Town, the country's legislative capital.
Syed: How did you get introduced into the Wikimedia movement?
David: My first edit was to create and upload an image in 2005, then adding it to an article. Amazingly, this edit is still current in the encyclopedia, although the image has since been moved to Wikimedia Commons. I never became an administrator, and I'm not a top contributor, but I've made over 25 thousand edits to Wikimedia projects, and uploaded almost a thousand files. I've also written a tool that's in continual use to create parliament diagrams for political Wikipedia articles.
I got involved with the broader movement when I was invited to take part in the founding of Wikimedia South Africa. I was the secretary of the chapter until I moved to Germany, and I remained a member even afterwards. I'm also an active member of Wikimedia Deutschland.
I've served on the scholarship committee for the London, Mexico, Esino Lario and Montréal Wikimanias. For Esino Lario I also served on the Wikimedia Deutschland scholarship committee.
Why does South Africa want to host Wikimania?
Since the founding meetings of Wikimedia South Africa, we dreamed of hosting the conference. Initially many of us (including me) were very naïve. We had no idea of the scale of the event, or the level of burnout and exhaustion that would come about just from setting up a chapter, let alone hosting a massive conference. Since then, Wikimedia South Africa has successfully run Wiki Loves Monuments and hosted the regional African conference (WikiIndaba), and we have matured significantly as a chapter.
Our motivation to host the conference is that Africa, particularly sub-Saharan Africa, is a linguistically and culturally rich region with much to contribute to Wikimedia, but most content about Africa has been contributed from outside the continent. This state of affairs highlights the barriers to participation faced within our continent.
This background of inequality of coverage and participation led to the development of our theme: "Knowledge gaps: the Ubuntu way forward." Ubuntu is the African philosophy that says that a person is a person through other people. We will use the conference as a platform to bridge all types of knowledge gaps, and in particular to make our movement accessible to potential African wikimedians.
Why were scholarships introduced for Wikimania events?
Wikimania is the one event that brings Wikimedians from all around the world, and from all parts of the movement, into one place. The Wikimedia Foundation realised that this vision would be greatly weakened if only those Wikimedians with the financial means to travel were able to attend, so they took the bold step of creating a scholarship program which uses donor funds to bring this opportunity to Wikimedians who would not otherwise be able to take part.
What does a good scholarship application look like?
A good scholarship application paints a complete picture of what the applicant brings to Wikimania, and what they will take back and share after the conference.
A good application firstly shows their commitment to our movement: how much effort they have put into the the work of growing free knowledge, bringing it to the people who need it, and convincing others of the importance of free knowledge. This can be through their contributions to Wikimedia projects and through their work in their local Wikimedia affiliate organisations, but it can also be work that is done with other organisations that share our goals, for example Creative Commons.
Secondly, it needs to convince us that the experiences that the recipient will have at WIkimania will be shared with the community.
All of these things need to be verifiable: either through edits on Wikimedia projects or blog posts or news coverage or some other way that the scholarship committee can be sure that the donor funds are really going to the people who will make the most of the experience.
What are the common pitfalls that a scholarship applicant should avoid?
Don't leave things out that we need to know! Tell us everything that's relevant to your application, starting with the most important facts.
I have seen an application fail because the applicant didn't remember to include the fact that they had consistently created positive press coverage of the movement's activity. The application even said that most of the applicant's work was on the wiki, giving the false impression that this person would not be spreading the experiences gained at Wikimania beyond the inner circle of existing editors.
Many applicants also fail to give a clear idea of what they plan to do at the conference. If you say that your goal for attending Wikimania is to meet other Wikimedians and have fun, we will be hesitant to fund your trip. Yes, you will meet other Wikimedians, and yes, you will hopefully have fun, but you need to be concrete and specific about what you want to get out of the conference and what you intend to do with the experience when you get home.
What are your specific suggestions for first-time scholarship applicants?
Read the application form carefully, and take time to think about your answers. Collect evidence to support your application, such as links to off-wiki material, and never stretch the truth! If you are not completely honest, and this comes out, it will reflect extremely badly on you.
What is your advice to candidates whose applications are not approved?
Every year we have extremely well-qualified, highly engaged, high-impact Wikimedians who do not get scholarships. Some of them see other Wikimedians getting scholarships to travel to Wikimania, and feel that their work, commitment and impact is not valued. They are disappointed and angry, sometimes publicly so.
Please remember that we're just Wikimedians trying our best to weigh up very different, very special applications from people who contribute in different ways to the movement, and doing what we can to bring different voices to the conference. We can only judge based on the information that's presented to us, and sometimes the difference between an application that gets accepted and one that doesn't is very minor.
How good are the chances of the scholarship application being accepted for a candidate whose application was not approved in the past?
This depends very much on why your previous application was not accepted. Every year there are many applications which are excellent, but just don't make it onto the final list, and there are other applications which are incomplete or simply unconvincing. Some contributors had massive levels of contribution in previous years, but have had changes in life circumstances that mean that they have not contributed significantly online or offline for a year or more. Others might not have shown that they have the necessary level of skill in the language(s) of the conference: a Wikimedian who speaks neither English nor French to a reasonable level would not have been able to participate effectively in Wikimania 2017, for example.
This year, I intend to put more emphasis on getting new attendees to the conference, so applications from people who received scholarships in recent years will be weighted less heavily than those who did not. That's not to say that no-one who got a scholarship in recent years will get one this year, but if you narrowly missed out on a scholarship last time, this rule might make all the difference to you.
Why are some candidates' travel scholarships approved more often?
There are people in our movement who have ongoing tracks of work that are of broad interest to the community. For example, people who are developing the infrastructure of our websites always have new results to present and can often make a convincing case to attend in consecutive years. We also have applicants who develop new partnerships with GLAM institutions over multiple years and who have exciting new projects to discuss with the community. There are also some Wikimedians who maintain extremely high levels of impact in their online and offline communities over multiple years, and consistently show evidence of taking the learnings from Wikimania back to their communities.
Sometimes you will see someone attending Wikimania a few years in a row and assume they got a scholarship, while actually their travel costs were paid by another organisation, or by themselves.
In 2017, a number of candidates could not attend the Wikimania because their visa applications were refused. The Wikimedia Foundation has stated that these individuals will receive scholarships to Wikimania 2018—can you explain more?
We greatly welcome this decision. We know that these individuals have valuable contributions to make at the conference, which is why their scholarships were approved for 2017. Through no fault of their own, almost half of the delegates who needed a visa to travel to Canada were not granted visas in time. To show solidarity with the affected candidates, and to avoid needlessly repeating the work of the applicants and the committee, the Foundation decided to approve these applications for 2018 without further review.
Do you have any concluding remarks?
If your application is accepted, please don't post about it on social media. The people who were applying alongside you will see those posts, because we're all in the same network, and it makes it harder on them to see you being congratulated on your successful application while they deserve the opportunity just as much as you do.
If you would like to serve your community by investing about two weeks worth of evenings and weekends into detailed reviews of the best of your peers' work, please volunteer for the scholarship committee. It is hard work, but it's immensely inspiring to see the work that is being done across the globe by our movement. I'm also specifically extending this invitation to those of you who have criticised the neutrality or diligence of the process in the past: we know that you care about getting it right, so join us and make a difference!
Interview by Syed Muzammiluddin, Wikimedia community volunteer
There are 10 Monroe County finalists for the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship.
They are: Zoe Berensztein, Bloomington High School South; Caleb Cooper, Lighthouse Christian Academy; Mikayla Deckard, Edgewood High School; Hadley Knaus, Bloomington High School South; Zachary Kovach, Edgewood High School; Aaron Nunes, Bloomington High School South; Ryan Paquette, Bloomington High School North; Mac Rogers, Bloomington High School North; Sage Sherfick, Academy of Science and Entrepreneurship; and Greta Stephenson, Bloomington High School North.
The high school seniors will be recognized at the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County's Annual Report to the Community on Nov. 2.
This year's finalists were selected from among 68 applicants. The scholarship recipients will be announced in December.
Lilly Endowment scholars receive four-year, full-tuition scholarships to pursue baccalaureate degrees at colleges or universities in Indiana, as well as up to $900 each year to cover textbooks and equipment.
Foot Locker associates with New York Giants receiver Victor Cruz. For the past several years, Foot Locker has been doing its part to support the educational goals of young people.
Through its charitable foundation, the athletic retailer has been sponsoring the Foot Locker Scholar Athletes Program since 2011. Each year, it selects 20 outstanding students who demonstrate academic excellence and strong leadership abilities on the field and in their communities. The students each receive a $20,000 scholarship to the college of their choice.
In addition, one of the lucky 20 has the chance to receive an additional $5,000 through the Ken C. Hicks Scholarship (named for Foot Locker's former chairman and CEO).
Sound promising? Students can apply now online here, or be nominated by teachers, coaches, family or friends for a shot at one of the scholarships. Applications will close on Dec. 15, 2017, at 5 p.m. EST.
Earlier this week, the athletic retailer hosted its 17th annual "On Our Feet" gala in New York to raise funds for the Foot Locker Foundation, which facilitates the scholarship program as well as many other charitable endeavors.
The black-tie-and-sneakers event, held at New York's Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers, drew top executives from major footwear brands, including Nike, Converse, Adidas, Puma and Under Armour.
Also in attendance were local sports stars such as Yankees legend Bernie Williams, Jason Pierre-Paul of the New York Giants, Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez and NBA icon Larry Johnson.
Of the gala, Foot Locker chairman and CEO Dick Johnson said, "We are proud that this signature event has become an important platform to support funding for programs such as The Foot Locker Scholar Athletes Program and our long-standing relationship with UNCF, allowing incredible student athletes the ability to attain higher education and become successful leaders."
In total, "On Our Feet" has raised more than $18 million since its inception.
Producing effective video stories for digital platforms was the main theme of the massive open online course (MOOC) "Video journalism: Visual narratives for digital platforms." It's also what the ten students from the course who were selected to participate in an exclusive workshop with the team at YouTube Space in Rio de Janeiro tried to express in their projects.
Mais de 4 mil pessoas participaram deste curso oferecido pela Associação Nacional dos Jornais (ANJ) e pelo Centro Knight para o Jornalismo nas Américas da Universidade do Texas em Austin, com o apoio do Google News Lab. Alessandro Alvim e João Wainer lideraram este programa de treinamento por quatro semanas e apresentaram os conceitos e técnicas da dinâmica de produção multimídia na Internet.
More than 4,000 people participated in this course hosted by the National Association of Newspapers (ANJ for its acronym in Portuguese) and the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas at the University of Texas at Austin with the support of Google News Lab. Alessandro Alvim and João Wainer led this four-week training program and presented the concepts and techniques of dynamic multimedia production for the Internet.
MOOC participants competed for 10 travel grants to participate in an exclusive video production seminar with the YouTube team, which will take place on Oct. 20 in the company's newly opened space in Rio de Janeiro. Those who received the scholarships will also be able to personally meet instructors Wainer and Alvim, who taught the course between July 24 and Aug. 20.
Journalistic strength of the stories stands out among those projects selected. The videos deal with issues such as the routine of young residents of the Casa Santista Foundation (a teenagers' recovery center), the perspective of a homeless person about public space, the judgment of an indigenous leader and the extreme poverty in areas of Recife. Creativity and the commitment to combine narrative elements more specific to documentaries were also present.
"The result of the competition was very interesting and served to show that the most important part of this course is to bring the concepts. From there, the creativity of the students is the limit," Wainer commented. "From the results presented in the videos, it was clear that they understood and knew how to apply everything from the classroom soundly into their work."
Alvim was also impressed with the quality of the work. "In addition to the concern with journalistic value, there was care with aesthetic and editing. They realized that video narrative for the web is first and foremost a good story. With good editing and applying the necessary resources, it is better constructed. The competitors applied the lessons and did a great job," he said.
João Wainer and Alessandro Alvim are two veterans of multimedia production. Wainer was the founder of TV Folha and directed it for several years. He was the winner of the Esso Prize in the Telejournalism category for coverage of the June 2013 protests. For 17 years, Alvim edited graphic breaking news material and for three years he has been dedicated to innovative multimedia production at newspaper O Globo. He had works recognized by the Society for News Design (SND), SND-Digital, Inter American Press Association (IAPA), Prêmio Malofiej, Prêmio Esso and Prêmio Petrobras.
Following the lessons offered by the instructors, journalist Yuri Soares, from the Bahia newspaper Correio*, produced a video on the precarious conditions of workers at a cachaça factory that operated in the suburbs of Salvador, and was one of those selected in the final contest.
"With the course Videojournalism: Visual Narratives, I came to better understand my role as a reporter, as well as the potential of the audiovisual tool, in the journalistic context. Before the course, I ended up doing the reports without much planning, also a consequence of the lack of people in the team," Soares said.
Aline Silva, from the Diário de Pernambuco, also applied the MOOC's knowledge to build a video report about a Pernambuco capoeira icon, Mestre Meia-noite.
"The content of the course permeated the entire production process of my final project. I understood the ideal rhythm of a video for the internet, knowing how to attract the attention of the viewer, and knew the importance of each process, from conducting the interview with capturing sound and image with appropriate supports, to assembly and finalization," said the journalist, who also had her work selected in the contest.
Creativity, talent, journalistic value and narrative construction were metrics used to judge the winning works. The theme or focus of the video was at the discretion of the participants. Below, see the list of students and click on their names to see the projects chosen:
All winning projects will be featured on YouTube Space and will receive direct feedback from the MOOC instructors. The video journalism workshop at Youtube Space will be offered only to the 10 award-winning students, and was organized to encourage students from the course to apply the learning gained into new journalistic products.
The MOOC program offered by the Knight Center of the University of Texas at Austin began in 2012 and is the only one in the world to offer open and massive online courses specializing in journalism. In five years, the initiative has already benefited more than 110,000 people from more than 170 countries.
"We are very grateful to Google News Lab for supporting us in massive Spanish and Portuguese courses that benefit thousands of journalists in Latin America," said Professor Rosental Calmon Alves, founder and director of the Knight Center. "We also thank ANJ for this long partnership with us and with Google to bring knowledge to so many journalists, teachers and students of journalism programs from all regions of Brazil."
The National Association of Newspapers brings together the main newspapers in Brazil. ANJ was created in 1979 to defend freedom of expression, thought and propaganda, the unrestricted operation of the press, observing the principles of responsibility, and fight for the defense of human rights, the values of representative democracy and free enterprise.
Google is a leading global technology company that is dedicated to improving the ways in which people connect with information. Google's innovations in Internet search and advertising have made its site one of the leading Internet products and brands, one of the most recognized in the world.
The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas was created in 2002 by Professor Rosental Calmon Alves, holder of the Knight Chair in Journalism and the School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin. The Center has received contributions from the John S. & James L. Knight Foundation and other donors.
The Free Application for Financial Student Aid (FAFSA), which provides students with access to federal grants and loans for college, became available on Oct. 1. More than 238,000 students applied online during that first day, but for those who procrastinated there's a big perk to complete it now.
RaiseMe, a site that offers incremental micro-scholarships to college-bound high school students, is partnering with colleges to offer eligible seniors up to $4,000 just for filling out the FAFSA.
"We know that students who fill out the FAFSA have an 85% chance of receiving some sort of aid, and so we're proud to join the broader movement to incentivize FAFSA completion, foster better financial literacy among high school students, and to help students put their best foot forward when preparing for college," said Preston Silverman, RaiseMe CEO and co-founder.
Of the 22 participating colleges, Madonna University in Livonia, Mich., is the only school offering a $4,000 micro-scholarship. The remaining schools will award students between $100 and $400. To apply, students simply sign up on RaiseMe and find the FAF SA offer underneath the "Scholarships" tab. While students earn the micro-scholarships during high school, they only receive the money once they apply and are accepted into a specific university.
RaiseMe currently offers micro-scholarships for everything from earning an A in school, to volunteering. It recently added the FAFSA micro -scholarship because an impressive number of students simply choose not to fill it out. According to a Nerdwallet study, of the 85% students eligible for aid, only 45% complete the FAFSA annually.
In fall 2017, freshmen gave up $2.3 billion in financial aid. Nerdwallet found this number by comparing the number of high school graduates who didn't complete the FAFSA to those who would have been eligible for a Pell grant. Pell grants are awarded to low income families and do not have to be repaid. Last year, each pell-eligible graduate left $3,583 on the table by not filling out their FAFSA.
"We're excited to provide a platform for colleges to give prospective applicants an extra push to claim federal financial aid that might otherwise be left on the table," said Silverman.
While not all of the schools offer a massive micro-scholarship, getting paid for doing something you already planned to do is still pretty nice. Here is a list of participating schools:
Florida Atlantic University, West Virginia University, University of Pittsburgh, Tusculum College, University of Massachusetts, Lowell University of Kentucky, University of Idaho, Mount Holyoke College, Grinnell College, University of Kentucky, University of Ric hmond, Kenyon College,, University of Mount Olive, Notre Dame de Namur University, University of Findlay, Grand View University, Florida Southern College, Wayne State University, Lawrence Technological University, Valparaiso University, and Cornell College.
Brittany is a reporter at Yahoo Finance.
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"President Reagan believed so strongly in educating our nation's youth and igniting their leadership journey," said John Heubusch, executive director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. "It is our honor and privilege to partner with GE in fostering and inspiring the young leaders of tomorrow through what has become one of the most prestigious scholarship awards available to high school students today." "GE and the Reagan Foundation created this scholarship program to honor the legacy of our nation's 40th President," said Alex Dimitrief, senior vice president and general counsel of GE. "Having served under President Reagan as a White House Fellow, I couldn't be more proud that GE is partnering with the Reagan Foundation to create a whole new generation of leaders. This program recognizes students who have seized the opportunities afforded by high school to lead, serve and embark on a life of purpose and significance for themselves, their families and their co mmunities." Qualified applicants will be evaluated on leadership, drive, integrity, and citizenship: For more information on application requirements and a link to the application please visit: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gereaganscholarships
About The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute:The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute (RRPFI) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the promotion of the legacy of Ronald Reagan and his timeless principles of individual liberty, economic opportunity, global democracy, and national pride. It sustains the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, the Ronald Reagan Institute, the Reagan Center for Public Affairs, the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Presidential Learning Center, The Air Force One Pavilion and the award-winning Air Force One Discovery Center. Located in Simi Valley, California, the Library houses over 55 million pages of Gubernatorial, Presidential and personal papers and over 60,000 gifts and artifacts chronicling the lives of Ronald and Nancy Reagan. It now also serves as the final resting place of America's 40th President and his first lady. www.reaganfoundation.org About GE:GE (NYSE: GE) is the world's Digital Ind ustrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the "GE Store," through which each business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and intellect. Each invention further fuels innovation and application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry. www.ge.com Press Contacts Melissa GillerRonald Reagan Foundation mgiller@reaganfoundation.org 805-522-2977 Izabela TeixeiraGE teixeira@ge.com 646-682-5644 View original content with multimedia: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ronald-reagan-presidential-foundation--institute-and-ge-open-applications-for-annual-college-scholarship-program-300537164.html SOURCE The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute
Applying for scholarships is now easier than ever at Mid-Plains Community College.
MPCC has launched a new online scholarship application, allowing current and potential students to fill out the required form from the comfort of their home computer.
"We're really excited about this new, easy-to-use format," said Erinn Brown, area director of financial aid. "It will streamline the application process and be a huge time-saver for everyone involved."
The form can be accessed at mpcc.awardspring.com/. Both current and prospective MPCC students will need to register for an account to complete the scholarship application.
Brown recommends that students register with an email address they will have access to throughout the 2018-19 school year to ensure they receive follow up communications.
Students will be able to see within their accounts what scholarships they qualify for and track the progress of their applications.
"If they receive an award, students will be notified through the system," Brown said. "They can then log in to accept or decline the scholarship."
The priority deadline for turning in a scholarship application for the 2018-19 award cycle is March 1. More information about the process is available by calling Brown at 308-345-8112 or emailing finaid@mpcc.edu.
Kobee Watkins, grandson of Frank and Joyce Breedlove, was the 2017 recipient of the Newton County Cattlemen's Association Scholarship. The award was presented by Sheryl Breedlove.
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Friends of the College of Lake County are invited to register online to participate in the silent auction supporting the CLC Foundation's 2017 Scholarship Gala: Road to Success - Off to a Grand Start.
"Even if you are unable to attend the gala at the historic Drake Hotel in downtown Chicago, you may participate in online bidding for more than 40 beautiful themed baskets and items donated by CLC employees and local businesses throughout Lake County," said Kristen Davis, annual giving and alumni relations manager. "It's a great way to get your holiday gift shopping done early while supporting CLC student scholarships and grants." Limited tickets are still available to attend the event on Saturday, Oct. 28.
In addition, friends of CLC can purchase raffle tickets for a grand prize dream vacation raffle - a trip for two to the winner's choice of three destinations: British Columbia, Canada; Monte Carlo, Monaco; or Montego Bay, Jamaica; with air fare for two. Raffle tickets are $50 each or five for $200 and are available at the Foundation Office in the E Building, Grayslake Campus, at http://clc17.gesture.com or at the gala. The raffle is being sponsored by R.J. Galla Company, Grayslake.
In Fiscal Year 2016, the CLC Foundation awarded $952,643 to 386 students. These awards provide the financial support needed to connect students to their dream of a higher education and advanced career opportunities.
The Gala's Diamond sponsor is Cancer Treatment Centers of America® at Midwestern Regional Medical Center. Richard J Stephenson, the organization's founder and chairman of the board, is the gala honorary chair.
Other major sponsors include Wintrust Financial Corporation and supporting banks including The Chicago Trust Co., Libertyville Bank and Trust and State Bank of the Lakes; Legat Architects; Baxter International; Robbins Schwartz; First Midwest Bank; R.J. Galla Company, Inc.; and Grainger. Sponsors also include The Chicago Trust Company, N.A.; First Bank of Highland Park Foundation; Mortenson Construction; Northbrook Bank and Trust Co.; Lesser, Lutrey, Pasquesi & Howe; Cotter Consulting, Inc., Diamond Residential Mortgage Corporation and Susan T. and J. Kenneth Rosko; CLC Alumni Association; Lake Forest Place, a Presbyterian Homes Community; Knauz Auto Park; Lake County Building and Construction Trades Council; World Equity Group; Armor Systems; John and Jan Zobus; Griffith, Grant and Lackie Realtors; Circuit Court Judges Christen L. Bishop; and Christopher R. Stride.
Volunteer members of the CLC Foundation's Scholarship Gala committee include: Liz Bronneberg, Highland Park; Pete Govorchin, Libertyville; Holly Monger, Vernon Hills; Meg Largay, Lake Forest; Michelle Parnell, Lake Forest; Sue Rosko, Lake Forest; and Bob Worobow, Lake Forest. Committee co-chairs are Sandra Shinsky, Gurnee; Lisa Dooley Trace, Lake Forest; and Jan Zobus, Deerfield.The Scholarship Gala begins at 6 p.m. and includes hors d'oeuvres, martini bar, raffles, silent and live auctions, gourmet dining and dancing in the Grand Ballroom. The event's master of ceremonies is Mike Caplan, a CLC alumnus and meteorologist for Fox 32 Chicago. Musical entertainment will be provided by the Ron Harris Band. Tickets are $325 each, and an RSVP is requested by Oct. 20.For more information about attending or contributing to the gala, contact Kristen Davis at (847) 543-2400 or register at http://clc17.gesture.com.
College of Lake County Foundation Mission Statement: The College of Lake County Foundation raises money to fund scholarships and grants that provide our students with an opportunity for a better future. Through these efforts, we strengthen the vitality and well-being of the diverse communities we serve. To learn more about how you can inspire the dreams of CLC students, visit www.clcillinois.edu/foundation.
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Kristi Redmon(Photo: Jamie Lynn Chevillet/Journal & Courier)
LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Friends of elementary school art teacher Kristi Redmon want her remembered for helping people, not as the woman whose life ended a year ago Thursday in a hail of gunfire as she answered her door.
Redmon will continue to help others in her death.
Her friends started a scholarship for Lafayette students pursuing careers in an art-related field, Shannon Lezak and Katrina Boes said.
"We just launched it this morning," Lezak said Thursday morning. "We wanted to launch it on the anniversary of her death."
Boes said, "We've been working on this since July. We wanted something positive to remember Kristi, not the person who did this."
"We had talked about someone doing a scholarship," Lezak said Thursday morning as she recalled the Oct. 12, 2016, shooting of Redmon. "We need to do something for Kristi."
Lezak and Boes were in the courtroom in the wee hours of July 14 when jurors returned a not guilty verdict against Darius Printup, the man prosecutors say killed Redmon as she opened her door at her home in the 1300 block of Ridgeway Avenue.
Kristi Redmon died on her front step Oct. 12, 2016, allegedly after Darius Printup shot her because he believed she was concealing the people who stole his drugs, according to prosecutors. (Photo: Ron Wilkins/Journal & Courier)
As the years pass, Redmon and Printup and Oct. 12, 2016, will fall from the public's memory, Lezak said. But the scholarship is a way to remember Redmon for the positive influence she had on Lafayette and its children.
"Kristi's philosophy was life is art," Boes said. "Her goal in life was to help people."
Right now, the scholarship is in its infancy.
Lezak and Boes just received the tax ID number for the scholarship organization, but they still do not have the not-for-profit status.
With the tax ID number, they can solicit for donations. Right now, the donations will finance the process to be certified as a not-for-profit organization, and then the money will be used to finance the scholarships, which will be for Lafayette School Corp. students — the district in which Redmon taught, Boes said.
Donations can be made through the group's Facebook page or through a Go Fund Me account at https://www.gofundme.com/the-kristi-redmon-scholarship-fund.
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The S.C. lottery will be able to pay for college scholarships for qualifying high school seniors despite more students being eligible for the state aid, the top S.C. lottery official told legislators Tuesday.
"What I can tell you is we're doing everything we can to make sure we don't have a decline (in revenue) at all," said Hogan Brown, interim executive director of the S.C. Education Lottery.
A drop in lottery revenues could force the state to dip even further into its general fund budget to pay for more college scholarships.
In the past, the state has dipped repeatedly into its general fund to pay for those scholarships because the lottery's profits have not been high enough to support aid promised to students. Taxpayers have made up the difference, totaling $460.7 million in six recent years.
Some are fearful that a dramatic change in the state's K-12 grading scale could result in more than 6,000 added students qualifying for scholarships, creating a greater drain on the general fund, funded by the state's sales and income taxes.
"(That) is not good because, when we take it from the general fund, somebody else is losing out," said state Rep. Rita Allison, R-Spartanburg.
Already, some legislators are unhappy that the state keeps injecting more money into lottery scholarships, rather than spending the money on poor schools, for instance.
At a House budget meeting last year, state Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg, said she was incensed the Legislature would put any more money toward scholarships. "We have yet to honor the commitment that we owe to the Abbeville plaintiffs," she said, referring to the 1993 lawsuit filed by the poor, rural school system.
And the state's scholarship subsidy could increase because of the change in the state's K-12 grading scale.
Last year, the state moved to a 10-point grading scale, similar to Georgia and North Carolina, making thousands more high school seniors eligible for Life and Palmetto Fellows scholarships.
To qualify for a $5,000-a-year Life scholarship, a student must have a 3.0 grade-point average — a "B" average — and meet other requirements.
For a Palmetto Fellows scholarship, worth $6,700 to $10,000 a year, a student must have a 3.5 GPA, a mix of "As" and "Bs." Or students can qualify for the scholarship by earning a 4.0 GPA and scoring well on college entrance exams.
Because of the change in the grading scale, however, getting an "A" or a "B" and qualifying for scholarships now is easier.
An "A" now is a grade from 90 to 100 and a "B" is from 80 to 89. Previously, an "A" was a grade of 93 to 100 and a "B" was an 85 to 92.
Unless lawmakers make the scholarships more difficult to get, the change in the grading scale initially would have resulted in 6,333 added students being eligible for scholarships worth $14.5 million.
To offset any potential shortfalls, Brown said the lottery is putting more money into advertising — online and on cable TV — to attract new players. Brown has asked the lottery's governing board to allocate around $226,000 more toward advertising.
The lottery also is planning to introduce a new game in fiscal year 2018 called "Gigantics," a large $10 scratch-off ticket. Brown said the lottery hopes the new ticket will increase sales.
State Sen. Harvey Peeler, R-Cherokee, said Tuesday he is "very comfortable" with the way the lottery is operating. "After hearing from director Brown today, I'm more comfortable than ever."
Making it easier to get a scholarship
Changes in SC's K-12 grading scale will make it easier for students to get a lottery scholarship
3.0 GPA: To get a Life scholarship, a student has to have a "B" average. Formerly, a "B" was a score from 85 to 92 points. Now, it's from 80 to 89.
3.5 GPA: To get a Palmetto Fellows scholarship, a student has to have a mix of "As" and "Bs." Not only is a "B" easier to make now, but an "A" is easier to get, too. Now, it is a grade from 90 to 100. Formerly, it was from 93 to 100.
6,333: Added number of students who would have qualified for scholarships if the new grade scale had been in effect last year
$14.5 million: Value of those added scholarships
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The Kings' Course at Waikoloa Beach was designed by world renowned duo Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish. Waikoloa Beach Golf website image.
The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo's Alumni & Friends Association will host its 14th Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament on Saturday, Oct. 21, at the Waikoloa King s' Course.
The tournament will be structured as a two-person scramble. Registration begins at 7 a.m. with tee-off at 8 a.m. The cost is $185 per player and includes green fees, cart, mulligans, various contests on the course and an all-you-can-eat buffet during the awards luncheon.
The annual tournament has been held since 2004 to raise scholarship funds for UH Hilo students. Recipients are selected based on academic merit and financial need, and must be or have an immediate family member who is an alumnus of UH Hilo. To date, more than 40 students have been awarded scholarships.
For more information, and to participate in the tournament as a player or sponsor, call (808) 932-8912 or download a registration form online.
DEKALB – Goofy and Mickey might have the high-profile roles at Disney World, but there is a lot going on behind the scenes, too. An army of more than 60,000 employees keep Main Street USA spotless and guests in line for the Pirates of the Caribbean hydrated.
For Sycamore resident Ashlyn Gardner, who is majoring in hospitality at Northern Illinois University, working at Disney World is an opportunity to learn customer service from the best.
"I love their culture of customer service," she said.
And no, she's not working as a character.
"Even if I was, I couldn't tell you," she said. Those playing characters in the park are sworn to secrecy, she said.
Gardner has been working the front desk of the lodge, a 1,293-room, African savanna-themed resort at Disney's Animal Kingdom park, a role that she said has its own rewards. She's there to greet quests as they get off Disney's complimentary motorcoach from Orlando International Airport to the resort.
"The best part of working the front desk is being the first face people see when they get off the Magical Express," she said.
Aside from working her dream job, and earning eight credit hours doing it, Gardner also won a $15,000 scholarship from the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association Educational Foundation. The process involved writing an essay and interviews at the trade association's headquarters in Chicago. The money will go toward her final two semesters at NIU.
Customer services wasn't always Gardner's first goal at school, she said. It was a change she made when she transferred from Kishwaukee Community College in Malta to NIU. Originally, she majored in communications with the goal of going into film, but after a study abroad program that took her to Ireland, she shifted her focus.
"I realized I would love to travel," she said. Working in tourism would allow her to do that.
After she graduates from NIU this spring, Gardner plans to apply again for the Disney college program. Part of her graduation requirements is to do an internship and is earning college credit for the current semester in Florida. As did the scholarship, landing a gig at Disney World involved several steps: Gardner went through an online application, a web interview and a phone interview, then waited for a couple of weeks before she got the call that she was accepted to the program.
She said the Animal Kingdom Lodge is a four-diamond resort, based on the AAA rating system. The only reason it doesn't have five, she said, is because it allows children.
"I love resorts," Gardner said. "I'm very, very blessed."
