Application process begins for SJSCSC scholarships
By Melinda Harrell
Published in News on January 14, 2015 1:46 PM
Throughout the year, volunteers have been selling items at Seymour Johnson's Air Force Base's thrift shop to fund the annual Seymour Johnson Spouses' Club Scholarship Committee Scholarship.
And this year, the SJSCSC says any United States Air Force dependents can throw in a bid for a portion of $10,000 in scholarship money to further their educational goals.
Cathy Palmer, the Officers and Civilian Spouses' Club Scholarship chairperson, said the opportunity is open to anyone affiliated with the base.
"The eligibility is a dependent of an Air Force member or a civilian employee that is affiliated with Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. It can be active duty, Reserve, Guard, retired, MIA, POW, or deceased, officer or enlisted member of the United States Air Force," Mrs. Palmer said. "Also, if there are other sister services that are here -- sometimes we do have other sister services at our base -- if they are active duty and assigned to Seymour, then we will consider their children -- their dependents as well."
But it takes more than simply being affiliated with the base to land scholarship money from the committee.
The scholarships are merit-based, which means recipients are not chosen based on need, but rather what they have done to give back to the community, their academic standing and essay response.
"We look at their academic achievements, standardized test scores, their extracurricular activities. That could be with both the school and community. We are looking at athletics and to see if they are volunteering, membership in clubs and any work history. We are looking at leadership awards and honors, reference letters, and they do have write an essay," Mrs. Palmer said.
Mrs. Palmer added that the members of the committee do not decide to whom the scholarship money will be awarded, but rather members from the community are invited to judge and decide.
"I think to just to get an impartial (judgment), someone impartially looking at them. I think that might have been the intent or just to involve the local Goldsboro community," Mrs. Palmer said. "We've had military counselor for the public schools, folks from the chamber of commerce and community leaders."
Last year, the SJSCSC offered scholarships to seven high school students, two students that were continuing their education and three spouses. The individual scholarships ranged from $250 to $1,500.
The scholarship opportunity has been available since the late 1970s, but over the years has evolved.
Initially, the Officers and Civilian Spouses' Club and the Enlisted Spouses' Club had their own scholarships. But now, the two clubs have joined forces -- a move that Mrs. Palmer said makes sense.
The thrift shop, which supplies money to both clubs, is also run by spouses of retirees of SJAFB as well as other SJAFB-affliated volunteers.
The store also provides funding to both the OCSC and ESC to donate money to community organizations throughout the year, like the Community Soup Kitchen and Relay for Life.
"We are just here to give back," Mrs. Palmer said.
The SJSCSC is now accepting applications for the those seeking to acquire the SJSCSC Scholarship through March 2. Applications are available online at www.sjocsc.com. For more information, e-mail [email protected].