$1,000 Scholarship for Youth Development Junior and Senior High School Students
Deadline: Friday, May 2, 2025
Jump-start your future by applying for the Carole Robertson Memorial Scholarship! This scholarship honors our namesake Carole Robertson, a young girl who was killed during the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963, alongside peers Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, and Denise McNair. Open to any current or past participant of the Carole Robertson Center for Learning’s Youth Development program for more than one year, this award provides one student $1,000 to use toward their postsecondary education (two- or four-year college).
Eligibility requirements:
- Student must be a high school junior or senior
- Student must have plans to pursue postsecondary education at a two- or four-year college or university
- Student and family are able to verify Youth Development program participation for at least one year at the Carole Robertson Center for Learning and/or the Albany Park Community Center
Application requirements:
- A completed essay (250-500 words or fewer) based on the following prompt:
- Describe your life journey, starting with your time at the Carole Robertson Center for Learning. Focus on the experiences that have shaped you, the lessons you’ve learned from those experiences, and what you hope to study in the future.
- If you are an applicant interested in workshopping your essay, please email youthdevelopment@carolerobertsoncenter.org before May 2.
- One yearbook-style photo or professional headshot (JPEG or PNG)
- List of top three postsecondary education choices
- Optional: BONUS POINTS for a letter of recommendation from a non-family member, such as a coach, teacher, mentor, or employer.
2024 WINNER: GISSELL GARNICA
For 2024 Carole Robertson Memorial Scholarship winner Gissell Garnica, the future holds an abundance of bright possibilities: As a student at Instituto Health Sciences Career Academy and a recent intern at UI Health, Gissell is looking forward to being a first-generation college student and achieving her dream of becoming a sonographer.
“The Center taught me that it’s important to develop my legacy—not only to make the people who care about me proud but also to make myself proud.”
