The Foreign Service Journal, December 2013

46 DECEMBER 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS merit award applicants must submit the a two-page essay, two letters of recommenda- tion, their official high school transcript and examples of their art work in one of the following categories: visual arts, musical arts, perform- ing arts or creative writing. The deadline for an AFSA academic and/or art merit award is Feb. 6, 2014. For details on how to apply for an AFSA scholarship, go to www.afsa.org/scholar. The online application process allows students to check on the status of their application and ensure that their docu- ments have been received. To learn more about other college assistance programs, AFSA encourages parents and students to visit such scholarship search sites as www.fastweb.com or www. wiredscholar.com, as well as AFSA’s website to view other scholarship resources. For more information, contact AFSA Scholarship Director Lori Dec, at dec@ afsa.org or (202) 944-550 4, or AFSA Scholarship Assis- tant Jonathan Crawford, at crawford@afsa.org or (202) 338-4045. ext. 252. For information on becoming an AFSA member, please visit www.afsa.org/ become_a_member.aspx o r call (202) 338-4045. n ily’s financial status. AFSA will fund students attending any two or four- year accredited college or university located in the United States or overseas. All college instruction and correspondence from overseas schools must be in English. Individual financial aid scholarship awards range from $2,000 to $4,000. Scholarships may be applied towards a student’s tuition, room and board, books, com- puter and/or university fees. Approximately 60 scholar- ships are awarded each year. The deadline for an AFSA financial aid scholarship is March 6, 2014. To be eligible for an AFSA academic award or an art merit award, students must be in their senior year of high school. The family’s financial situation does not factor into consideration for this pro- gram, which bestows about 25 awards each May. When applying for an AFSA aca- demic merit award, students must submit an application, a two-page essay, two letters of recommendation, their official high school transcript and SAT or ACT test scores. First-place winners receive $2,200. Academic merit award applicants are also eligible to be considered for a prize recognizing the best essay and the most compelling community service work. Art tional Developlment, Foreign Commercial Service, Foreign Agricultural Service, Interna- tional Broadcasting Bureau or the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service are eligible to apply. Eligible students may apply for all three award categories. To be eligible for an AFSA financial aid scholarship , the student must be claimed as a dependent on his or her par- ent’s taxes. When applying for a financial aid scholar- ship, students must submit their official high school or college transcript (show- ing a 2.0 cumulative grade point average on at least 12 credits per semester) and the College Scholarship Service PROFILE assessing the fam- AFSA is now accepting appli- cations for its scholarships, which fall into two categories. AFSA merit awards (one- time only) recognize art or academic accomplishments of high school seniors, while AFSA financial aid scholar- ships (renewable, need- based) are for undergraduate college study. Over the last 20 years, AFSA has disbursed more than $3.5 million in scholarship aid to more than 1,600 children of Foreign Service employees. As a benefit of AFSA membership, only children of members who are active- duty, retired or deceased Foreign Service employees of the Department of State, U.S. Agency for Interna- FS Students: Apply Now for AFSA College Scholarships BY LORI DEC, SCHOLARSHIP DIRECTOR To Support the AFSA Scholarship Program Designate CFC #11759 This year, please consider support- ing the AFSA scholarship program by designating #11759 on your Com- bined Federal Campaign pledge card or online donation. The AFSA Scholarship Fund has changed its name to Foreign Service Youth Scholarships-AFSA, but the number remains the same (CFC #11759). Last year, AFSA provided more than $230,000 through need-based scholarships and merit awards to 90 Foreign Service students to aid in their col- lege expenses. Please visit www.afsa.org/cfc for details. NEWS BRIEF