Cynthia Neary, president of CSF Westfield Dollars for Scholars, speaks during the annual awards ceremony in 2019. (Marc St. Onge Photo)
WESTFIELD – City students have the opportunity to apply for CSF Westfield Dollars for Scholars scholarships starting Feb. 1
The CSF Westfield Dollars for Scholars Board of Directors has announced that beginning Feb. 1, high school seniors and college students in undergraduate studies residing in Westfield may apply for college scholarships online .
Deadline to apply is March 15 at csfwestfield.dollarsforscholars.org.
CSF Westfield Dollars for Scholars, formerly known as Citizen Scholarships Foundation of Westfield, is one of 800 Dollars for Scholars chapters around the country, according to Westfield Chapter President Cynthia Neary.
Neary said since the chapter was established in 1962, they have donated more than $3.6 million dollars to more than 6,000 Westfield students.
Students will have the ability to create online profiles, which allow them to apply for and be matched to multiple scholarships on both the local and national level for the 2020-2021 school year. Prospective college students and current undergraduates are encouraged to begin developing online profiles now to assure that they are alerted of scholarship opportunities in advance of deadlines.
Neary explained that the same application is used by every chapter across the country, although each chapter can fine-tune it. She said it’s critical that students who fill out the application pay close attention to the requirements of the CSF Westfield chapter, which differ in some respects from other chapters.
CSF Westfield awards scholarships based on both academic merit (grade point average, activities, work experience and goals essay) and financial need determined by the FAFSA report -Free Application for Federal Student Aid), which not all chapters consider.
Applications must include the Student Aid Report (SAR) from FAFSA. If the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) on the SAR exceeds $65,000, the student is not eligible for a scholarship from CSF Westfield Dollars for Scholars.
Applications must be completed along with the 2020 SAR report from the FAFSA and the most recent academic transcript uploaded into the Additional Documents section, and submitted by March 15, 2020.
“They really need to look at the application for CSF Westfield, because we need a little bit more. They must follow the instructions for our chapter,” Neary said.
Another difference with CSF Westfield is that the chapter awards scholarships to students who are graduating from high school and plan to go to an accredited higher education institution, whether four-year, two-year or an accredited certification program; as well as to undergraduates already enrolled seeking to complete their degree.
Neary said since their inception in 1962, they have included in their bylaws awards to both high school students and students already enrolled in undergraduate education who need assistance. Neary said a student can receive a maximum of four grants from CSF over their undergraduate careers.
“We are one of the few chapters that support all four years of college. The challenge is not only seniors going in, but throughout a college career, with the goal of graduating,” she said.
Since applications are available as of Feb. 1, Neary strongly encourages students not to wait. She said if an application is received early enough, there may be time for the student to check whether the application was successfully received. “Otherwise, it’s not humanly possible,” she said, adding that many applications are completed at the last minute.
Another mistake some students make on the application is under “Goal,” which should be an undergraduate degree. Some college students mark off doctorate, their long-term goal, by mistake; effectively rendering the application ineligible, because CSF Westfield doesn’t grant scholarships for graduate degrees.
Two scholarship recipients review the program during the 2019 CSF Westfield Dollars for Scholars awards ceremony. (Marc St. Onge Photo)
Scholarships range from $500 to $3,000. Neary said, unlike some scholarship organizations, they do not eliminate candidates if they receive other scholarships. “We recognize funding high education requires many sources of support. It’s a patchwork quilt of funding to pay for higher education today,” she said.
Neary said the selection process, performed by members of the board of directors, is very fair, unbiased and consistent. Applications are assigned numbers with no names, and each reviewer scores a different section on the application, with no one person scoring an entire application.
“It’s quite a process,” Neary said. She said all the board members are Westfield residents, and many have benefitted from past scholarships, her family included. All three of her daughters received scholarships before she joined the all-volunteer organization 16 years ago. Another member of the board was a scholarship recipient.
Neary said board members work tirelessly year-round to keep the organization, one of the oldest chapters in the United States, successful. “We can be very proud of that in Westfield,” she said.
“Our passion is to help Westfield students achieve college graduation. None of this could be done without the generous support of the community, businesses, and civic organizations,” Neary added.
She said CSF Westfield depends entirely on the support of individuals, civic organizations and businesses in the community. She said many altruistic individuals and businesses have also established endowments, which give perpetual scholarships from investment earnings. CSF Westfield has a total of 80 endowments, which are established with a minimum contribution of $10,000.
Some of the endowments have preferences for their scholarships, for example to a nursing student, high school athlete, or engineering student. Neary said they can’t guarantee that every year they will have a candidate in those areas among the completed pool of applications.
Last year, CSF Westfield Dollars for Scholars awarded $147,800 in scholarships to 129 students at its awards night in May.
“We’re happy to give this money away to deserving students, but we need completed applications,” Neary said.
