Dear Potential Scholarship Applicant: 

I want to congratulate you on your decision to pursue a more promising future through higher education. As you may know, all members of the Maryland General Assembly are allocated funds for awarding scholarships to college students who live in their respective districts. The three Delegates who represent District 19--Delegate Bonnie Cullison, Ben Kramer, and I--are collaboratively administering scholarships for students who live in our community.

Students who live in legislative district 19 and currently attend or plan to attend Montgomery College, a Maryland State college, or a university in the Fall of 2011 may apply for the Delegate scholarship. You can verify your residency in District 19 by checking here.

Scholarships will be awarded based primarily on financial need and merit. The funds for this program provide for up to approximately 70 awards between $1200 and $1800. We highly recommend that you review the information regarding this and other scholarship programs that is available at the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) web site: http://www.mhec.state.md.us.

The completed application form and supporting materials should be returned as soon as possible, but must be postmarked by May 16, 2011. For your application to be processed you must include the following:

• Application form
• 500 word, double-spaced essay (see Application form)
• Evidence of completion of Free Application for Federal Student Aid via the Maryland College Aid Processing System. (For this scholarship, this may be completed after March 1. For more information about the FAFSA, consult with your school counselor or go to http://www.fafsa.ed.gov.)
• Official High School transcripts
• Unofficial college transcripts (if applicable)
• SAT or ACT scores

Completed applications will be reviewed by a scholarship committee appointed by the District 19 Delegates. Decisions will be made and applicants will be notified of their status by July 1, 2011.

I hope that you will take full advantage of the many financial aid opportunities available to all Maryland students, especially those who plan to attend colleges and universities in our state. Any questions regarding this scholarship application process may be directed to my Annapolis office at 301-838-3528.

Sincerely,

Sam Arora
Delegate