The NextMile Scholarship Program
A scholarship program for MileOne employees, spouses, and children of employees.
The NextMile Scholarship Program
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” It is with these words, originally spoken by Nelson Mandela, coupled with our desire to support our employees and their families in their quest for furthering their education, we offer The NextMile Scholarship Program. This program is available to employees, spouses, and children of employees who are rising high school seniors or who have already earned their high school degrees. Recipients will receive a renewable $2,500 scholarship towards their education at an accredited 2 or 4-year college university, graduate school or vocational-technical school of their choice.
The program is administered by Scholarship America®, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarships and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals. Eligibility for individual programs is determined at the sole discretion of the sponsor and eligible applications are reviewed by Scholarship America’s evaluation team.
Eligibility
Applicants for the The NextMile Scholarship Program must:
- Be a full-time or part-time employee who has a minimum of one year of continuous employment with MileOne as of the application deadline, or
- Be a spouse or dependent child* of a full-time employee who has a minimum of one year of continuous employment with MileOne as of the application deadline.
*A dependent child is defined as a biological child, legally adopted child, stepchild or legal ward living in the employee’s household or primarily supported by the employee. - Be a current high school senior graduating in spring 2026, a high school graduate who plans to enroll, or is currently enrolled in, part-time or full-time undergraduate, graduate or vocational-technical study at an accredited two or four-year college, university, graduate school or vocational-technical school located in the United States for the entire upcoming 2026-2027 academic year.
- Have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (or its equivalent).
- Not have been convicted of a felony.
Awards
If selected as a recipient, the student will receive a $2,500 award. Up to fifty (50) awards will be granted each year. The award must be used during the academic year for which it was granted.
Awards may be renewed for up to three additional years for undergraduate, graduate or vocational-technical study on the basis of maintaining a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent), continued employment without any gaps in service by the employee and continuation of the program by your employer.
Renewal students, check your Scholarship America Student Hub account for your 2026 online renewal form. If you have questions about your renewal, please contact Scholarship America at 507-931-1682 and ask for the NextMile Scholarship Program Manager. Do NOT create a new student account!
Notification
Applicants will be notified in July. Not all applicants to the program will be selected as recipients. Students may reapply to the program each year they meet eligibility requirements.
Notifications are sent via email. When setting up your account, avoid using a school or work email. Instead, use an active, personal email address that you will continue to have access to.
Please make sure to add studentsupport@scholarshipamerica.org as well as the program email address as safe senders in your email contact list.
Payment of Scholarships
Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of MileOne. Payments are made in one installment in early August. The check is payable to the college and sent to the student’s address.
Selection of Recipients
Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of:
- Academic performance
- Demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities
- Work experience
- A statement of educational and career goals and objectives
- Unusual personal or family circumstances
- A letter of recommendation (cannot be from a family member)
Financial need is not considered. Selection of recipients is made by Scholarship America. In no instance does any officer or employee of your employer play a part in the selection. All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.
Requirements
As part of your application, you must upload the following:
- A current, complete transcript of grades. Grade reports are not accepted. Transcripts must display:
- Student name
- School name
- Grades
- Credit hours for each course and term in which each course was taken.
NOTE: If you are providing SAT or ACT test scores, and those scores are not listed on your high school transcript, you will need to upload a copy of your test score report(s) separately. If you are uploading a college transcript, those scores are not required. - A letter of recommendation (cannot be from a family member).
- A digital, high-resolution head and shoulders photo of the applicant: Please do not upload a selfie.
Your application is not complete unless all required materials are submitted electronically.
