SCHOLAR HANDBOOK

SCHOLARSHIP REQUIREMENTS BULLETIN June 2022

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Peer Mentor Requirement (Freshmen Only)

Research consistently proves that having a mentor increases success. This is particularly true for First Generation college students. As such, our scholarship program requires you have a Peer Mentor for your freshman year. (We recommend you keep them, add more to your life going forward, and eventually, become one yourself.)

• Don’t confuse this with the option we will give you of being matched with an Alum Mentor.

• Your Peer Mentor needs to be an upperclassman attending your college or university (if you are attending a four-year school. If you are attending a two-year, your mentor can be one year ahead of you).

•  They should share a similar background to yours so they can relate to your worldview.

•  They don’t need to have mentor experience. They need to be willing to spend time with you, share what they’ve learned from being at school and be willing to listen and provide advice or perspective.

• Notify Kit Wells (WFF) by the November 1st deadline that you have identified a mentor. (If you’re having trouble finding one, let Kit know.)

• Once you notify Kit Wells (WFF), she will send you a gift card: Target or Starbucks, your choice.

• We will also send a Starbucks gift card to your mentor (if you’re comfortable sharing their email address with us - we won’t use it for anything else).

•  We recommend you meet at least monthly with your Peer Mentor to talk about school and life.

 

Paperwork Requirement (All Scholars)

You must return the paperwork that is emailed to you twice yearly by SDF (in August and January) by the posted deadline to maintain your scholarship.

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Newsy Note Requirement (All Scholars)

We have a twice-yearly Newsy Note requirement (aka: an email) because it helps us stay connected to you on your college journey. We love hearing from you and finding out how you’re doing. So, when you return your twice-yearly scholarship paperwork to SDF, please take a moment to email Kit Wells (WFF) with an update for the Board on how your previous semester or quarter went and how you are doing.

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GPA Requirement (All Scholars)

Your scholarship is sent to your college by SDF in two installments per year: the first in late August/early September, and the second in mid to late January. To qualify for your next semester’s scholarship installment, you must meet the minimum GPA requirement: 2.0 for your freshman and sophomore years and 3.0 for junior and senior years. You may choose your previous semester GPA or your cumulative GPA, whichever is higher. If you fail to meet the minimum GPA, please contact Lili Alcantara (SDF) for the appeal procedures. We always seriously consider scholarship appeals, so definitely submit an appeal should you come up short.