This year the program will award 100 scholarships valued at $2,000 each, for a total $200,000, to exceptional students of Puerto Rican descent that are making a difference in their communities. Applicants must be high school seniors or full-time college/university students in their freshman through junior years in college.
To be eligible, applicants must meet the following criteria:
Be of Puerto Rican descent;
- Have a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better, or the equivalent high school grade;
- Be a high school senior or freshman through junior in college, ages of 17 through 25;
- Be enrolled in an accredited two or four year college/university, for college students;
- Have a track record of doing volunteer work or community service;
- Participate in an interview with a member(s) of the scholarship selection committee.
- For the first time in the program’s history, previous scholarship winners are eligible to re-apply, given that they comply with all other eligibility rules.
Applications are available for download at www.nprdpinc.org. Candidates must submit completed applications, essays and biographies electronically to NPRDP.Scholars@gmail.com by Friday, March 30, 2018. Letters of recommendation and sealed transcripts should be mailed together to National Puerto Rican Day Parade, P.O Box 975, New York, NY 10272 by Friday, March 30, 2018. Materials received after this date will result in the applicant’s disqualification.
NPRDP National Scholarship Application packages must include: a completed application form; an essay; a written biography; two letters of recommendation, of which one letter of recommendation must be from the site where the student performs his/her volunteer work; official academic transcripts and a head shot photo. Letters of recommendation should be requested from teachers, professors, counselors, mentors, clergy, community leaders, etc. The letters should highlight the applicant’s volunteer community service, length of the relationship with the candidate, and the specific contributions the applicant has made to the community.
NPRDP established the Scholarship Program to promote the pursuit of higher education in the Puerto Rican community. Last year, the organization broke its all-time record for total number and dollar amount of scholarships to be awarded (100 scholarships valued at $2,000 each, for a total $200,000), which the organization was able to maintain in 2018.
For more information about other NPRDP programs and updates on the upcoming annual parade on Sunday June 10, 2018, the public can visit www.nprdpinc.org
Photo by Sietu Oronde.
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