Welcome back to the blog! The past few weeks have been full of Straight “A” nominations, participating in the Opening Day Red’s Parade and much, much more. While the blog has taken a back seat recently, I luckily have time this week to highlight the positive impact that the Scholarship Fund has had on past recipients and the Tri State community.
Since 2002, the Foundation has awarded over 1 million dollars to local students through the annual Scholarship Fund. The Scholarship Fund looks to award multiple high school seniors that have faced financial need, have academic achievement, have overcome adversity and have an ambition to succeed.
In the past, we have had the honor to award the most optimistic, kind and giving individuals. Here are a few of their stories:
Caralyne Wallace
“I STRIVE FOR THE BEST IN LIFE BECAUSE
I KNOW THAT IS WHAT MY DAD WOULD
WANT FOR ME AND IT IS WHAT I WANT
FOR MYSELF.”
Caralyne was one of our 2018 Scholarship Fund recipients as well as our 2018 Straight “A” Female Overall Winner. Caralyne grew up in intense poverty, living in nine locations and attending seven elementary schools. At the age of 5, Caralyne was experiencing homelessness when she lost her little brother who was born premature and had uncurable health problems. At the age of 7, Caralyne’s parents divorced. Caralyne’s darkest moment occurred when she was 13 years old and lost her father of a drug overdose. All though Caralyne has endured more than some experience in a lifetime, she has never let her hardships define her. Thanks to the support of our partners, we were able to award Caralyne with a full scholarship to Thomas More College where Caralyne continues to live everyday to its greatest potential studying pre-physical therapy.
Victor Ponce
“HISPANIC CHARACTER CAMP GAVE ME THE CONFIDENCE BOOST I NEEDED THEN.”
When Victor moved to America, he became a victim of racism and bullying. His confidence fell to an all-time low and he struggled communicating with his loved ones and going through his day-to-day life. In 2011, Victor became part of the AMF family when he joined our Historic Character Camp and quickly he found the support and optimism he needed to succeed. In 2016, Victor became one of our Scholarship Fund recipients due to his courage, perseverance and determination. Victor now attends Northern Kentucky University where he continuously makes an impact by volunteering and attending Hispanic Character Camp as a chaperone.
Alex Shelton
“ADVERSITY, THAT BROAD UNKNOWN WORD,
TOOK MY LIFE UNDER HIS CONTROL ONLY TO
BUILD ME BACK UP, STRONGER THAN BEFORE.”
Alex Shelton was one of our 2013 Scholarship Fund recipients. Beginning his senior year of high school, Alex had an ambition to succeed, excellent academic standings and was an active member in his community. Alex’s world was quickly turned around, however, when his parents divorced, creating a financial crisis for the family. Although Alex faced hardships abruptly, he continued to succeed. After accepting the Scholarship Fund, Alex spent his college years at the University of Cincinnati where he continued to give back to the Cincinnati community. Throughout his years, Alex created two programs that focused on partnering college-age mentors with local students. Today, Alex continues to give back. He recently purchased a one-way ticket to Guatemala where he will be working with MANNA Worldwide to work on education efforts for students.
If you are a senior in high school that has faced adversity like Caralyne, Victor and Alex, we encourage you to apply to the Scholarship Fund. The application and eligibility requirements can be found on our website and the deadline is Wednesday, May 1st.
The application includes:
- A completed application
- An official high school transcript
- An acceptance letter from a local college or university
- A college ID #
- A SAR Report (this can be found through FAFSA)
To submit your Scholarship Fund Application, you can choose one of these methods:
- Mail your application to – Anthony Muñoz Foundation, 8919 Rossash Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45236, Attn: Victoria Knepp
- Scan and email your application to – impact@munozfoundation.org
- Fax your application to – (513) 772-4911
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the Scholarship Fund, feel free to email me at impact@munozfoundation.org!
See you next week!
-Sara