Featured Scholarships: December 2024

As the calendar year comes to a close, we’re spotlighting some generous scholarship programs for students in specific fields, including awards for aspiring music educators, healthcare workers and culinary professionals. And if you’re not in one of those featured majors, don’t worry—there are lots of open scholarships to apply for right now on our Browse Scholarships listing!

J.W. Pepper 150^th Anniversary Scholarship

To celebrate 150 years of serving musicians, J.W. Pepper Sheet Music is offering a landmark scholarship program for students pursuing music education majors. The J.W. Pepper 150th Anniversary Scholarship program will award over $150,000 in college scholarships to empower aspiring musicians to pursue their dream of becoming music teachers.

Administered by Scholarship America, awards include fifty-two $3,000 scholarships—one for a recipient in each state, plus Washington D.C. and the combined U.S. territories. The top-rated recipient will receive a $10,000 award.

Applicants must be high school seniors or graduates who plan to enter their first full year of college/university studies in Fall 2025 and must be planning on full-time undergraduate study in pursuit of a music education degree. Applicants must also be current or former members in good standing of a high school band, orchestra, choir or other approved music program.

If you’re a high school senior dreaming of a career as a music educator, visit jwpepper.com/scholarships to learn more and apply!

Applications are open through January 31, 2025. Apply Now >

Kendra Smith Scholarship Program

Since 1992, First Nation Group has been at the forefront of the medical equipment industry, serving as the premier Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, and Women-Owned Small Business distributor of medical-surgical equipment and supplies to the Federal Government.

As part of the company’s commitment to serving its community, the First Nation Group Foundation is proud to introduce the Kendra Smith Scholarship program, which will provide a renewable $10,000/year award to an exceptional high school senior in Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Michigan or Tennessee.

Applicants to the Kendra Smith Scholarship must be planning to enroll in fulltime undergraduate study at an accredited two- or four-year school in the United States for the entire upcoming academic year, and planning to pursue a degree in healthcare (including, but not limited to, Medical; Healthcare – Clinical or administrative and Public Health).

In addition, aspiring scholars must have a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent) and demonstrate financial need. The Kendra Smith Scholarship is renewable for up to three subsequent years or until a bachelor’s degree is earned, whichever comes first.

Applications are open through January 13, 2025. Apply Now >

Nicole V. Reed Memorial Foundation Culinary Award

Nicole Reed was a full-time software services consultant in Jackson, New Jersey—but it was her custom cake creations that garnered her a huge following of devoted clients. When Nicole passed away suddenly in May of 2019, her husband Charles sought to honor her memory, and the Nicole V. Reed Memorial Foundation Culinary Award does just that, by providing a $5,000 scholarship to a student embarking on a degree in the culinary arts.

The Foundation has honored four scholarship recipients since it was established: Aidan Kincaid, Samira Blyden, Francisco Vega, and, in 2024, Gage Wigton, a student at the College of the Ozarks.

This year, applications are open to high school seniors and graduates aged 25 or younger anywhere in the United States. You must be planning to enroll full-time in a culinary arts program at an accredited two- or four-year college for the entire 2024-25 academic year.

As Charles Reed says, creating culinary masterpieces “was [Nicole’s] passion. The reactions of her clients drove her creativity, and the Nicole V. Reed Memorial Foundation seeks to encourage such passion and creativity in others.” If you have a passion for food and you want to turn it into a career, don’t miss this wonderful opportunity.

Applications are open until January 16, 2025. Apply Now >