Academic Scholarship Information:

PURPOSE

	To provide financial assistance for preparatory high school or college education to youth who have participated in the USA/NJTL of Trenton program or who have been employed as program staff.
	To promote the importance of education in life goals and the linkage of education with sports

ELIGIBILITY

A minimum of four years as a program participant or two years as program staff.

SELECTION CRITERIA

	Character
	Motivation to succeed
	Academic achievement
	NJTL Program participation
	Financial need (see Application)
	Three references of which one must be from people associated with the Trenton NJTL and one from the community in which the youth lives

APPLICATION

The application shall be submitted in writing (typed or handwritten) to the Trenton NJTL Executive Director and shall contain the following information:

	Name, address, age and birth date of applicant
	Contact information of parent(s), guardian or supervising adult
	Academic records (transcript of courses, grades, or equivalent) for the preceding complete academic year and the academic year in which the application is submitted
	Three references submitted in writing (per criteria) and sent separately by the submitting person to the Executive Director of the Trenton NJTL
	Proof of acceptance at the preparatory school or college
	Indication of financial need (financial need forms are NOT required)
	1-2 page letter of request by applicant

FUNDING

The awards shall be up to $5,000 per academic year and shall be taken from either a special fund created specifically for education and funded by individual donors or from sources that the Board of the Trenton NJTL specifically allocates for scholarship. The payments shall be made directly to the school in question upon request by the scholarship recipient.

The scholarship shall be awarded to the recipient for the duration of the enrollment in the preparatory school or college/university, contingent upon the recipient’s remaining in good standing at the school and resubmitting the request for support each year. The recipient will also be expected, in general, to be involved with the Trenton NJTL during the period of the scholarship grant, performing activities such as helping with the summer or winter programs or both. It is recognized that this involvement may not always be practical. In this case some form of community service is desired but not an absolute requirement for continuation of the scholarship.

SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE

The Scholarship Committee shall consist of three members, one of which shall be the Trenton NJTL Program Director and at least one of which shall be from the Trenton NJTL Board of Directors. The committee shall make its recommendations to the full Board which shall give the final approval.

The responsibilities of the Scholarship Committee will include,

(1) Oversight of the process of identification of potential recipients

(2) Selection of scholarship recipients and recommendation to the Board

(3) Tracking and maintaining a database on the recipients’ progress

(4) Developing contacts with preparatory schools that would be interested in giving scholarships to Trenton NJTL participants and ensuring that these schools have good support systems in place for students that could be challenged by the adjustment from a public to a private school.