Hi again Missouri FCCLA! Many of us have just begun our second semester, and for some this may be your last semester of high school ever! That means college is right around the corner and along with that comes applications, financial changes, added expenses, and so much more. All of these new changes that are being brought into your life can cause a lot of stress and worry for both you and your family.
To alleviate the stress, you could do a number of things such as planning ahead, checking with your advisors, or even changing up your routine. One thing that FCCLA could help you with though, is some of that financial stress.
Through Missouri FCCLA, we offer two possible scholarships: the Outstanding FCCLA Leadership Scholarship and the Family and Consumer Sciences Career Clusters Scholarship. The first one I mentioned, the Outstanding FCCLA Leadership Scholarship, is available to candidates who have shown excellent leadership skills and involvement in FCCLA events and activities. There are two awards available, a four year and a two year, and the applicant must be actively enrolled in an accredited college or university.
The next scholarship, the Family and Consumer Sciences Career Clusters Scholarship, is offered to students who are planning to major in a FACS career cluster area at either a two or four-year degree program. The aforementioned career clusters include: early childhood education and services, food production and services, hospitality, tourism and recreation, housing, interiors and furnishings, textiles and apparel, and of course, family and consumer sciences education.
Applicants for this scholarship are also eligible to apply for a scholarship from Missouri Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (MAFCS).
But the scholarships don’t stop there! Through national FCCLA, members have access to even more scholarship opportunities. There are two partner scholarships available: the National Technical Honor Society Scholarship and the Take Down Tobacco Advocate of the Year Scholarship. There’s also the FCCLA Memorial Scholarship which is a one-time $2,500 scholarship which can be paid straight to the college the recipient is currently enrolled in.
The National Technical Honor Society Scholarship is given to two members annually who are also members of the National Technical Honor Society. The applicants will be judged on their contributions to FCCLA and NTHS. The $1,000 will be directly paid to the college or university’s tuition.
The second partner scholarship, Take Down Tobacco Advocate of the Year, is awarded $1,500 from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) to one current member of Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America. The application is open to nationally affiliated FCCLA members who also have a registered account with Take Down Tobacco and have completed Take Down Tobacco 101 and Rise of Vaping, which you may access here.
The scholarship winner must attend National Leadership Conference and present a workshop while there. CTFK provides a $1000 stipend to help with the additional costs brought on by the travel. How awesome is that?!
Overall, FCCLA offers so many amazing opportunities to its members, so why not take advantage of these ones! You never know, you could be Missouri’s next Outstanding FCCLA Leadership Scholarship winner or the national Take Down Tobacco Advocate of the YEAR!
Audree Proffitt
Vice President of Scholarships