Simon Youth Foundation seeks applicants for $1 million in college scholarships

Central Valley — The Simon Youth Foundation, a national nonprofit that provides educational opportunities for at-risk high school students, will award a college scholarship to one student from every community that is home to a Simon property, in this case Woodbury Community Premium Outlets. Any student who will be graduating in the class of 2012 and lives within 50 miles of a Simon property is eligible. The program will award a one-time scholarship of up to $1,400 to students who plan to enroll in an accredited college, university, vocational or technical school. In addition, an “Award of Excellence” will be given to the top candidate from among the scholarship winners with the Premium Outlets® portfolio. That student will win a $2,500 scholarship that is renewable for up to three years. The completed application, along with official school transcripts and parents’ most recently filed tax form, must be sent to Scholarship Management Services by March 1. Students may pick up a copy of a scholarship application at the Information Center at Woodbury Common Premium Outlets. Applications also may be downloaded at the SYF web site at www.syf.org/our-initiatives/scholarships/community-application. This is the twelfth year that Simon Youth Scholarships have been awarded. In 2011, the program awarded $1.15 million to 260 students nationwide. The 2012 SYF Community Scholarship recipients will be selected by Scholarship Management Services, a third-party administrator. Students are selected based on a variety of criteria, including financial need, academic performance, leadership skills and participation in school and community activities. Those students who are the first in their family to pursue a post secondary education will also be given close consideration.