Applications Now Being Accepted for $10,000 Scholarship Honoring Outstanding Community Service for DC High School Seniors; DC Public and Charter School Students in Grades 4 through 8 Invited to Participate in Poetry Contest

WASHINGTON, DC – The Junior League of Washington (JLW) is pleased to announce two opportunities for District of Columbia students: the Meg Graham Scholarship for DC high school seniors demonstrating leadership in community service and academics; and the annual “Find Your Voice” poetry contest for students grades 4-8.

“The Junior League of Washington is honored to provide opportunities to acknowledge DC students and encourage them to grow and thrive in leadership, community service, and education,” said Aimee Picard Soller, JLW President.

“Our Meg Graham Scholarship is a 36-year tradition honoring community service and academics in the next generation of community leaders – a core tenet of our mission to promote voluntarism in our community – awarded in memory of our former member the Rev. Meg Graham. We encourage all eligible DC seniors to apply.

“Our annual poetry contest supports literacy, the social issue where JLW focuses its volunteer and financial resources, among DC students. Each year for nearly 20 years, we’ve enjoyed beautiful poetry from DC’s talented students, and we look forward to reading this year’s submissions and honoring their hard work.”

For more information on both the Meg Graham Scholarship and the poetry contest, please visit: www.jlw.org/students.

Meg Graham Scholarship

The application submission process for the Meg Graham Scholarship…Celebrating Service and Leadership is now open. For 36 years, JLW has awarded the Meg Graham Scholarship to a graduating high school senior living in Washington, DC, who has excelled academically and demonstrated commitment toward community involvement. The $10,000 scholarship is in memory of the late Reverend Margaret M. Graham, former president of the Association of Junior Leagues International and former member of JLW.

Students are invited to apply for this award, which will be paid directly to their college or university in four annual installments. The scholarship is open to any high school senior who is a DC resident; attends a public, charter, private, or parochial high school in DC; and is matriculating to an accredited, four-year, postsecondary institution in the fall of 2018. S/he must have an outstanding volunteer service record, be in good academic standing with a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA, and show the promise of continued success. The scholarship award will be paid in four annual equal installments based on the scholarship recipient meeting a minimum GPA of 2.75 or higher as a full-time student at an accredited, four-year, postsecondary institution and continuing to perform sufficient volunteer work. The first installment will be paid in the summer of 2018 directly to the recipient’s institution. Applications must be postmarked by April 6, 2018.

Past scholarship winners have attended the College of William and Mary, George Washington University, Pomona College, and Spelman College, as well as many other colleges and universities.

For additional details or questions on the Meg Graham Scholarship, please email scholarship@jlw.org.

“Find Your Voice” Poetry Contest

JLW is pleased to invite Washington, DC, public and charter school students in grades 4 through 8 to participate in the 19th annual JLW “Find Your Words” Youth Poetry Contest. Teachers or reading/writing instructors are asked to submit all poems by email on students’ behalf. One first place and two honorable mention winners will be selected from each grade. Each winner will receive literacy-focused prizes (value of $50 for first place and $25 each for honorable mention), be published in a JLW booklet, and be invited to read his or her poem at our Annual Reception. The purpose of the contest is to encourage young people to explore reading and writing poetry by submitting up to two poems on any topics of significance or interest to them. Entries will be judged on the basis of content, originality, creativity, and clarity. Poems must be submitted by a teacher or instructor via email to jlwdcpoetry@gmail.com. The deadline for entries is March 14, 2018, by 6 p.m. ET.

To read last year’s winning poems, please click here. For more information about the 2018 poetry contest, contact jlwdcpoetry@gmail.com.