Douglas County individuals and organizations are offering 76 local scholarships for Lawrence High seniors this year. Scholarships vary from $100 to a renewable $5,000 award. Students are encouraged to apply for as many scholarships as they are eligible for. 

Available scholarships have a wide range of requirements. Many scholarships are directed at students with financial need, a specific identity, career path, extracurricular involvement or career interest. Fourteen are designated for seniors attending a Kansas college or institution, and several specifically require KU. A myriad of scholarships, however not all of them, require a minimum GPA to be met. The Bill and Gunnar Zimmerman “Motivational Award” is a $1,000 scholarship available to applicants with a GPA between 1.5 and 2.75. 

The General Application can be utilized to apply for the majority of the scholarships. It asks for individual information about you and your high school experience and includes two personal statements. This application can be reused, as long as you change the name of the scholarship at the top. It is recommended for students to fill out the form without the scholarship name at the top, make copies and then add the scholarship names to speed up the process. 

However, some scholarships have additional requirements which may include an essay, response questions, letters of recommendation and more. The Local Scholarship Descriptions packet will specify the requirements for each scholarship. 

Every application requires an unofficial copy of your high school transcript, which can be requested at Parchment.com. A copy of your transcript must be attached to every application submitted. 

Seniors will be notified in April if they have received scholarships and a Senior Recognition Ceremony will be held to award the local scholarships. 

All finalized applications must have the required materials stapled and turned in to Ms. Bradfield in Student Services by 3:30 p.m. Feb. 15. For more information, check out Lawrence High’s Student Services tab and select Local Scholarships (https://www.usd497.org/Page/6764).