As more and more families across America are affected by Alzheimer’s disease, many teenagers as well are becoming aware of this heartbreaking brain disease—from personal experiences in their own families, watching friends and neighbors, or involvement in community service.

Recognizing this, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA), a national nonprofit organization, has created a division specifically for teens, AFA Teens. Its goals include raising awareness among teenagers and the general public about Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias; providing education, counseling and support to young family members; enabling teens to share feelings with other teens and experts; and referring teens and their family members to supportive services.

In a further effort to provide an outlet for teenagers to express their thoughts about Alzheimer’s disease and to engage the younger generation in this cause, AFA is pleased to offer the AFA Teens for Alzheimer’s Awareness College Scholarship—an annual $5,000 scholarship awarded to one deserving college-bound student, and $500 and $250 scholarships awarded to the first and second runners-up, respectively.

The deadline for applications is February 15 of each year. This scholarship provides an excellent opportunity for college-bound students to give thoughtful consideration to the impact Alzheimer’s disease has on their own lives and others in their family and community. Students are required to submit an autobiography and write a 1,200 to 1,500 word essay that answers the following questions:

• How has Alzheimer’s disease changed or impacted your life?
• What have you learned about yourself, your family and/or your community in the face of coping with Alzheimer’s disease?

To qualify, a student must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and must also enter a four-year accredited college or university within 12 months of the application deadline. Existing college students are not eligible to apply. A committee selected by AFA will judge all timely submissions. Author identity will remain anonymous during the judging. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

AFA will award a $5,000 scholarship to the grand prize winner, a $500 award to the first runner-up and a $250 award to the second runner-up. On April 15, AFA will notify the grand prize winner and runners-up. AFA will require the winner and runners-up to provide their Social Security number and documentation verifying high school enrollment (i.e., official transcript) and U.S. citizenship (passport, birth certificate; driver’s license is not acceptable) in order to be named such and receive the scholarship. AFA will provide the scholarship payment to the winner and runners-up upon receipt of official documentation of registration from the college/university that he or she is attending in the following fall or spring (for example, sending a letter with proof of first semester’s payment from the registrar’s office). Should the scholarship winner fail to attend college within the stated time period, the scholarship will be given to the first runner-up (initial award will be deducted from the new payment).

To help inspire others, the winner and runners-up will agree to have his or her name and city published, will agree to have his or her essay published on the AFA Teens Web site—www.afateens.org, will provide AFA with a photo to be used for publicity purposes and for distribution to the media, and will be available for interviews with the media if required. AFA will also retain the right to publish the essay of the winner and runners-up in care ADvantage magazine and allow media to publish selected excerpts. Non-compliance with any of these requirements will result in forfeiture of the title and award. The decision of the judges is final.

Checklist

Please print and review the checklist below to make sure that you meet all of the scholarship requirements and have included all necessary documents needed to qualify for the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) Teens for Alzheimer’s Awareness College Scholarship.

Eligibility

 United States citizenship or permanent residency

 Plan to enter an accredited four-year college/university within 12 months of the scholarship deadline

 Be currently enrolled in a public, independent, parochial, military, home-school or other high school in the United States (if not currently enrolled, please explain extenuating circumstances)

 Submit all required materials by the application deadline

 In order to be named winner or runners-up and to process the scholarship award, the winner and runners-up will be required to supply his or her Social Security number, and submit proof of high school enrollment (i.e., official transcript) and U.S. citizenship (passport, birth certificate; driver’s license is not acceptable); and he or she subsequently must provide official documentation of registration from the college/university that he or she is attending in the following fall or spring in order to receive the scholarship monies

 Requirements

 One copy of completed and signed application form

 One copy of brief, typewritten autobiography (maximum 200 words or less) in essay format

 Two copies of essay (one copy of the essay with an attached title page with essay title, word count and applicant’s name and address, and one copy without a title page, NOTE: online applicants must submit only one copy of essay with title page.)

 A1,200 to 1,500 word essay (typed, written in English, 12-point font, double-spaced, one-inch margins) that answers the following questions:

• How has Alzheimer’s disease changed or impacted your life?
• What have you learned about yourself, your family and/or your community in the face of coping with Alzheimer’s disease?

 Entire submission fastened with paper clip—one copy of application; two copies of essay (one with title page and one without; only one copy of essay with title page for online applicants), and one copy of autobiography

To qualify, materials must be submitted through AFA’s online application (www.afateens.org) by 11:59 pm (ET) on February 15 or mailed and postmarked on or before February 15 to:

Alzheimer’s Foundation of America
322 Eighth Avenue, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10001
Attention: AFA Teens College Scholarship
FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS CLOSELY. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Examples of applications that will be deemed incomplete and will not be considered:

- If all required materials are not postmarked by February 15 or submitted through AFA’s online application form (www.afateens.org) prior to midnight (ET) on February 15, the application will be disqualified. An application that is received at midnight ET or thereafter on February 16 will not be accepted. If the due date falls on a holiday, recognize that the post office might be closed and that the postmark must still be no later than February 15.

- All applications must be submitted via mail or through AFA’s online application form; applications submitted by fax or e-mail will not be considered.

- All scholarship essays must meet the required word length of 1,200-1,500 words and must include the word count on the title page for the essay. Essays with word counts above or below this required length will not be considered. All scholarship essays must be double-spaced. Essays that are single-spaced, for example, will not be considered.

- The applicant’s autobiography must describe the applicant in essay format. CVs and resumes will not be accepted.

 AFA is not responsible for any applications that are lost or damaged in the mail or via the online applications process. The decision of the judges is final.

Downloads

Scholarship Application Form

Scholarship Poster

Click Here to Apply Online or Resume an Existing Application

2013 Winning Essays

To read the 2013 winning essays, click here.

2012 Winning Essays

To read the 2012 winning essays, click here.

2011 Winning Essays

To read the 2011 winning essays, click here.

2010 Winning Essays

To read the 2010 winning essays, click here. 

2009 Winning Essay

To read the 2009 winning essay, click here.