The Career Center At

Newtown High School Lists Scholarships

The Career Center publicizes all scholarships of which it is notified. A few of the scholarships, typically national ones, request that money be enclosed with the application.

The Career Center believes that students should not have to pay to apply for scholarships.

If a student chooses to apply for a scholarship that charges a fee, however, the Career Center strongly advises that he or she first check its authenticity through the FTC Consumer Response Center, www.ftc.gov or 877-FTC-HELP; the National Fraud Information Center, www.fraud.org or 800-876-7060; or the Better Business Bureau, www.bbg.org or 703-276-0100.

 Big Y Scholarships — Big Y awards more than 300 scholarships to high school seniors, undergraduates, graduates, community college, and nontraditional students. Big Y employees and dependents are also eligible. All scholarships recognize academic merit and achievement and are awarded to the most outstanding students in the Big Y market area. Information is available at bigy.com and in the Career Center. The deadline is February 1.

National Co-op Scholarship Program — A national nonprofit organization offers renewable merit co-op scholarships to high school seniors who are planning to participate in a college cooperative education. Must have GPA of 3.5 or better. The program’s 11 partner colleges/universities are Pace, Johnson & Wales, Antioch, Northeastern, Kettering, CW Post, Drexel, University of Cincinnati, University of Toledo, Wentworth Institute of Technology and Rochester Institute of Technology. Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. The deadline is February 15.

Gates Millennium Scholars — This national scholarship program, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, provides an opportunity for outstanding students with significant financial need to complete an undergraduate college education. Applicants must be ethnic minority students who are US citizens or legal permanent residents and have attained a cumulative GPA of 3.3. Applicants should have demonstrated leadership abilities and meet the Federal Pell grant eligibility criteria. Interested applicants should go to gmsp.org for nomination forms. The deadline is January 12.

Ayn Rand Essay Contest — Two national essay contests are open to high school student writers. A $10,000 first prize is awarded for an essay on The Fountainhead and is open to eleventh and twelfth graders. The top prize for ninth and tenth graders is $2,000 for an essay on the novelette, Anthem. Essay submissions are due by April 25 and March 20, respectively. Students should go to aynrand.org for essay topics and complete details.

Governor’s Coalition for Youth with Disabilities (GCYD) — This scholarship recognizes the outstanding achievements of high school seniors with disabilities by providing financial educational assistance. Candidates must be Connecticut residents who have a disability as defined by the Special Education Law or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and plan to attend a postsecondary school or training program. The three types of scholarships are: 1) a one-time only nonrenewable scholarship of up to $3,000; 2) a renewable scholarship for $500 per semester to each of the four state universities; 3) one renewable full tuition and fee scholarship at each of the 12 Connecticut Community Colleges. Students are eligible for only one type of award. Applications are available at gcyd.org and the Career Center. Completed applications must be submitted to the Career Center by January 12 for certification. 

Union Plus Scholarship — The children of American Federation of Teachers members or other unions are eligible for scholarship awards ranging from $500 to $3,000. Applications are available in the Career Center or at unionplus.org/benefits/education/scholarships.