Schools

Foundation Announces College Scholarship Opportunity

The Simon Youth Foundation will award 2012 scholarships to graduating high school students who live within 50 miles of a Simon property such as the Lehigh Valley Mall.

The Simon Youth Foundation, a national nonprofit that provides educational opportunities for at-risk high school students, has announced that it will award a college scholarship to one student from every community that is home to a Simon property.

Any student who will be graduating in the class of 2012 and lives within 50 miles of a Simon property is eligible.

Locally, the Lehigh Valley Mall in Whitehall is a Simon Property Group property.

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The scholarship program will award a one-time scholarship of up to $1,400 to students who plan to enroll in an accredited college, university, and vocational or technical school.

The application period will end on Thursday, March 1, 2012, and the completed scholarship application, along with official school transcripts and the student's parents’ most recently filed tax form, must be sent to Scholarship Management Services by this date.

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Local students can pick up a copy of a scholarship application at the Simon Guest Services Center at the Lehigh Valley Mall or download a copy from the SYF website at www.syf.org/our-initiatives/scholarships/community-application.

In 2011, the Simon Youth Scholarships program says it awarded $1.15 million to 260 students nationwide.

“Our mission is to ignite hope for a brighter future in students, and our Foundation is proud to partner with Lehigh Valley Mall to award scholarships that will remove some of the financial obstacles that would otherwise prevent a student from achieving the dream of a college education,” said J. Michael Durnil, Ph.D., the President and CEO of SYF.

Scholarship Management Services, a third-party administrator, will select the 2012 SYF Community Scholarship recipients, the Simon Youth Foundation said.

"Students are selected based on a variety of criteria, including financial need, academic performance, leadership skills and participation in school and community activities. Those students who are the first in their family to pursue a post-secondary education will also be given close consideration," the foundation said.

-Information courtesy of the Simon Youth Foundation


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