Student Academic Grants & Awards

WELCOME! In these pages we will introduce you to a myriad of opportunities, and provide a range of resources to help you decide where you are going and how to get there. Here you'll find information on a variety of competitive grants and scholarships, links to scholarship foundation home pages, and plenty of practical advice from programs and past applicants to help you put together an outstanding application.

Whatever your goals may be, a scholarship is a small part of the journey you are taking through Willamette, and beyond.

Here at SAGA we can help you to:

identify your career goals
clarify your values and interests
improve your writing and interviewing skills
move toward planning for graduate school and life after graduation

National scholarships and grants are highly selective competitions that can provide financial and professional support for research, completion of your undergraduate education, and funding for graduate and international study and research. Unlike financial aid, scholarships such as the Truman, Rhodes, or Mellon are merit-based; need is not a factor. Moreover, many of these scholarships will be used for study, research, and travel following graduation, and so will not affect your financial aid at Willamette. (For information about financial aid at Willamette, contact the Office of Financial Aid.)

There are a range of other places to find funding opportunities and professional or volunteer experiences through Willamette. The Office of Career Services has information about volunteering, internships for during and after college, and post-graduate service programs like the Peace Corps and Teach for America. Willamette's Office of Financial Aid offers several internal scholarships that can help you pursue your academic goals while you are a student here.

Finding the right scholarship opportunity can demand a significant commitment of your time. Read the criteria carefully, check the fine print, and consider the purpose of the scholarship before you apply: does it fund independent research? coursework? language study or cultural immersion? Some scholarships, such as the Rotary and Fulbright, offer international travel and study after graduation, but don't necessarily lead to a graduate degree. Some, like the Goldwater and the Mellon, restrict the eligible fields of study; others, such as the Rhodes, impose age restrictions. Some are specifically geared to Ph.D. aspirants, like the NSF and Javits. Others are only offered to specific groups like minorities, women, or descendents of Civil War veterans. Some expect particular kinds of volunteer experience or extracurricular activities. Some take financial need into account. Most have gpa requirements, and several have a service requirement. Look for an opportunity that fits who you are, provides the kind of experiences you seek, and what you want to do and be. If the program for which you want to apply requires institutional nominations, contact the SAGA office for campus deadlines; but feel free to come in for advice and support for any application.

2009 WINNERS OF NATIONAL AWARDS REQUIRING UNIVERSITY NOMINATION

Emily Johnson, '08, Fulbright Scholarship
RoseAnn Joy Glade, Kemper Scholarship
Erika Mosqueda, Kemper Scholarship
Kate D'Ambrosio, '06, Fulbright Scholarship
Emily Johnson, Alternate, Fulbright Scholarship
Tucker Mottl, Udall Scholarship
Alison Maki, Fulbright Scholarship
Jared Nishikawa, Honorable Mention, Goldwater Scholarship

OTHER 2009 NATIONAL AWARD WINNERS

Charlotte Osborner, Datatel Scholarship
Hannah Leland, Datatel Scholarship
Phil Taylor, BMI Student Composer Award
Rebecca Alexander, Finalist, Gilder Lehrman History Scholar Program
Jennifer Bufford, '08, National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship
Amy Johnson, '08, Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellowship
Alicia Maggard, SHEAR/Mellon
Alicia Maggard, Gilder Lehrman History Scholars Program
Monica Rother, '05, National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship

INTERNAL SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

2009 Presidential Scholars
John Michael Miller
Jeffrey Weber

2009 Carson Scholars
Alyssa Anderson
Dan Bullard
Ben Clanton
Megan Delph
Lindsey Falkenburg
Paxton Gehling
Tyler Hoecker and Justin Olnes
Stina Janssen
Korina Keaton
Rachel Sabin
Tom Salina

2009 College Colloquium Student Research Scholars
Joseph Hines
Claire Hoffman
Stephanie Jones
Madison Niermeyer
D'Arcy Wright