REQUIREMENTS:

1. You must reside in the Aberdeen High School, school district and be a graduating high school senior.  You may also be a VoTech senior or a John Carroll senior that resides in the Aberdeen area. College students that meet all the requirements will also be considered for a scholarship.

2. You must have achieved a minimum 2.50 Grade Point Average.

3. You must be nominated by your parent/legal guardian or teacher by April 1 of the year in which you are graduating.

4. Nomination must be submitted on a completed Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Application. These applications can be obtained from the Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce located at 214 W. Bel Air Ave., Aberdeen, MD 21001, or by calling the office at 410-272-2580 and requesting one be mailed.

5. Completed Scholarship Application must include an official transcript of your grades for the previous academic year.

6. Your completed scholarship application must include a "Letter of Recommendation" on your behalf from a teacher or school official.

7. Credit will be given for community service work, employment and/or participation in extra-curricular activities at school (e.g. school clubs, organizations, etc). Please be sure to reference this information in your application.

8. You must submit an original essay (both in idea and content) with your completed Scholarship Application, of not more than 200 words, typed/double spaced, to include correct grammar, spelling and punctuation. Please choose one of the following topic:

“Describe a problem you have faced and how you were able to overcome it.”

“List three accomplishments of which you are most proud.”

“Put in writing your career goals, or your reason(s) for wanting to attend college.”

9. Your completed application along with grade transcript and essay must be postmarked and/or received by April 1. These should be mailed to:

Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce
SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION
214 W. Bel Air Ave.
Aberdeen, MD 21001

REGULATIONS:

1. Essay of the scholarship recipient will become the property of the Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce and may be included in future Chamber publications and/or released for media publication.

2. The Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce must be provided with proof of admission from the school at which the scholarship is to be applied.

3. Scholarship will be awarded in check form, payable to the recipient and school at which the scholarship is to be applied.

4. Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce staff, board members, volunteers and their immediate family members are ineligible for this scholarship.

5. Financial need of the applicant and the income of the applicant's family are NOT factors to be included in applicant evaluations.

6. Scholarships are available for those students who are already attending college, university or a technical school as long as they meet all other requirements and complete an application.

7. The scholarship award decision of the judges is final.

METHOD OF SELECTION:

A committee of approximately six or seven Aberdeen Chamber Board members and/or individuals from the general membership will review all applications and score each of the following items:  written essay, letter of recommendation, Grade Point Average, description of employment and/or service activities and attendance.

In the process of reviewing submitted applications, the applicant’s name will be covered.  The individuals with the highest score will be our winners. 

GENERAL INFORMATION:

The Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Committee will determine the scholarship recipient after evaluating essay, grade transcript, letter of recommendation, attendance and application information pertaining to the individual's academic and extra-curricular activities, for applications received by the April 1 nomination deadline. Applications postmarked and/or received after the April 1 deadline will be excluded from scholarship consideration.

Each applicant's entry is evaluated individually and scored with points assessed for Essay- originality and content, Grade Point Average, Community Service Work, Employment or participation in Extra-Curricular School Activities, Attendance, and the strength of the Recommendation Letters. (Please note- evaluation criteria listed above is not necessarily in order of importance.)

PLEASE NOTE: Be sure to follow the rules very carefully as outlined above under "REQUIREMENTS" and "REGULATIONS". If the rules are not adhered to or a nomination is incomplete, you will automatically be excluded from further consideration.

The scholarship recipient will be announced at the appropriate School's Awards Assembly.