Rockwood National Education Association offers new scholarship for future education majors

Ammu Lanka, Reporter

January 31, 2024

With a set criteria to evaluate applicants on scholastic abilities, communication, involvement, leadership and interest in field of education, Rockwood National Education Association will select up to four applicants for the RNEA Scholarship and up to two applicants for the RNEA Member’s Scholarship.

The Rockwood National Education Association, an organization that serves to represent educators in Rockwood, will be offering a new scholarship opportunity for seniors, starting this year.

RNEA offers two scholarships for seniors. The new scholarship is the RNEA Member’s Scholarship, which will be awarded to up to two children of RNEA members. In addition, the RNEA has awarded the RNEA Scholarship in the past, and will be awarded again this year. The RNEA Scholarship is awarded to up to four graduating seniors pursuing a career in education.

“[The RNEA Scholarship] has been offered for quite a while. This year, [RNEA] added another [scholarship] where anybody who is the son or daughter of an RNEA member will be able to apply, even if they’re not interested in going into education,” College and Career Counselor Alex Dusenberry said.

For both scholarships, RNEA guidelines require applicants to have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. Although the application process for each scholarship is the same, RNEA has specific guidelines for each scholarship.

Application process and criteria

RNEA selection criteria

The application process is the same for both scholarships and consists of three parts: applicants should list their involvement in school and the community, write a multi-paragraph essay from a provided prompt, and reach out for teacher recommendations.

The RNEA Scholarship Review Committee determines qualifiers based on the following traits:

strong academic performance
good communication skills
involvement in a variety of school activities
community service and leadership experiences
teacher recommendations

Guidelines specific to RNEA Member's Scholarship application

Applicants must be a child or dependent of an RNEA member
Applicant does not have to be a Rockwood student, just a graduating senior

Guidelines specific to RNEA Scholarship application

Applicant must be a Rockwood student
Applicant must be accepted or enrolled in a university for a degree in education

“We’ve definitely had a decline in individuals wanting to go into education. I think a lot of that is because college tuition has gone up, but the pay for teachers hasn’t,” Dusenberry said. “The easier we can make that path, the more we can kind of bring down the cost and the more apt it is for students to actually go into education. We could get really quality educators in the state.”

The organization offers up to $500 per scholarship and gives away up to $3,000 total. Dusenberry says the scholarship money awarded is flexible according to the number of students who win. If more students qualify, the amount of money each winner gets will decrease.

Dusenberry encourages seniors to apply for scholarships, regardless of their chance to win.

“Every year we have scholarships that go ungiven because students don’t apply, or we’ll have a scholarship that goes to the one student who applies. If a student is eligible for a scholarship, I highly recommend just putting their name into the hat,” Dusenberry said.

The deadline for the RNEA scholarships is Feb. 16. Applications can be picked up in the Counseling Office. For more information visit the RNEA website.

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About the Contributor

Ammu Lanka, Reporter

I initially joined staff because I love writing and wanted to explore a new style, but over the years I’ve come to love finding unique stories about people and learning about what matters to my community! Grade: Senior Pronouns: She/Her Years on Staff: 3 Hobbies: Singing, creative writing, reading and watching Netflix. Favorite Quote: “No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars or sailed an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit.” - Helen Keller

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