Besides deciding what college or university to go to, high school students have to also find a way to pay for it. Well students from 8th grade and up in the Idaho Falls area school districts have a chance to win some extra money to put towards tuition thanks to the Mayor’s Scholarship Fund.
The Mayor’s Scholarship fund was created in 2006 by Mayor Jared Fuhriman. Since then 166 scholarships have been awarded in the amount of $154,000.
“To qualify for the scholarship you have to be a city of Idaho Falls resident or attend a District 91 or 93 school, we actually try to target students in what we call the forgotten middle, those are the students that have between a 3.0 and 3.5 GPA”said Heidi Gummow the program coordinator for the Mayor’s Scholarship Fund.
After a student receives the scholarship, the money is held until they graduate, then they get to use that money for tuition at any Idaho institution.
“Promise Scholarships are awarded in the amount of $500 and Senior Scholarships are for $1500” continued Gummow.
The Mayor’s Scholarship fund gives out at least 12 scholarships a year.
“Their faces when we meet them, they are so grateful and so excited, we hear from them for years after, the Mayor receives letters from the, updates about college, updates about where they are in their careers and that’s by far the most rewarding part of this program” said Gummow.
The Mayor Scholarship Fund application deadline is this Friday February 1st. You can drop off those applications at either of the school district offices.
The awards ceremony for those receiving scholarships will be held on April 24th.
