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 each year.
The deadline for applications is February 15 of each year. This scholarship provides an excellent opportunity for high school juniors and seniors to give thoughtful consideration to the impact Alzheimer’s disease has on their own lives and others in their family and community. To qualify, students must be entering a four-year accredited college or university within 12 months of the application deadline.
An independent 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 the grand prize winner a $5,000 scholarship to be used toward the first year of the student’s college education.
AFA will notify the grand prize winner, along with a first and second runner-up, on April 1. AFA will provide the scholarship payment upon receipt of official documentation of registration from the college/university that the student 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.
AFA will post the grand prize winning essay on www.afateens.org to help inspire others. The two runners-up will receive a certificate of appreciation and their essays also will be posted on the AFA Teens Web site. AFA may publish the winning/runner-up essays in other media or utilize them for other publicity and informational purposes.
Application Instructions
Applicants must complete an AFA Teens scholarship application form, write a personal (200 word) biography, submit an official high school transcript, 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?
Essays and personal biographies must be typed, written in English and printed on white paper in 12 point font. Students must also meet all the eligibility requirements listed below. Please visit the AFA Teens Web site, www.afateens.org, for complete scholarship guidelines and application forms.
Eligibility:
To be eligible for this competition, applicants must meet the following requirements:
Must be a United States citizen or permanent resident
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 or other high school in the United States
Submit all required materials by the application deadline
Entries must be submitted by mail and postmarked on or before February 15 and submitted to:
Alzheimer’s Foundation of America
322 Eighth Avenue, 7th Floor
New York , NY 10001
Attention: AFA Teens College Scholarship
We encourage all applicants to learn more about Alzheimer’s disease and related illnesses at www.afateens.org and www.alzfdn.org.
For additional information, please contact 866.AFA.8484 or info@afateens.org.
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 residence
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 or other high school in the United States
Submit all required materials by the application deadline
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