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High School Scholarship Program

Click here for the scholarship application

Click here for previous scholarship winners

The Westerville Amateur Soccer Association (WASA) is proud to provide a scholarship award program for high school seniors who are continuing their education. This scholarship is awarded to eligible high school seniors, as determined by certain selection criteria, upon their acceptance into any post secondary education program. The award is intended to serve area high school students who are current or past participants in the WASA soccer program. This is a one-time award paid prior to the recipient entering their higher education program. Upon satisfying eligibility requirements, these scholarships are awarded to deserving students, as determined by an independent panel, based on community service, academic achievement and a short essay.

The following description provides further information, including the selection criteria, the purpose and amount of the award, and the source of funds.

General Information

In order to solicit applicants in a fair and equitable manner, WASA will distribute printed applications to area high school guidance counselors and athletic directors. Applications may also be obtained from the WASA web site, www.wasasoccer.org. Notices of scholarship availability will also appear in the recreational registration forms, and provided to the select teams sponsored by the WASA organization. Completed applications will be accepted beginning January 1st of each year, and must be returned to the
WASA PO Box with a postmark on or before the last Monday in January. Award decisions are declared prior to May 31st.

In order to qualify for an award, each applicant must present evidence of participation in the WASA program, as a recreational or select level player, coach or referee, for a minimum six (6) seasons. Spring and Fall are each a season. This evidence can take many forms, including written statements from past or present coaches, WASA staff or board members, or cancelled checks indicating league fee payment. Other evidence will be considered on a case by case basis, at the sole discretion of the WASA staff.

Payment of award monies will be made, from the WASA operating fund, upon receipt of a copy of a student billing invoice from the applicant’s school. Award money not collected within a designated period of time, detailed below, will be returned to the WASA operating account, and will not be awarded.

Selection Criteria

Each applicant will complete a WASA Scholarship Application form. This form requests pertinent, general information about the applicant and their plans for further, secondary education. Three additional sections of the application provide the basis for determining an award selection score. These sections are:

1. Community service: This comprises 50% of the selection score. Information regarding demonstrated community service may be submitted in the form of not more than three letters from individuals, i.e., Priest, Minister, Scout Master, Job Supervisor, or anyone with oversight responsibility, who is aware of the applicant's contributions to the community.

2. Academic achievement: This comprises 40% of the selection score. In this section supply specific accomplishments, such as, GPA, class rank, and other academic awards and recognition. The applicant may be asked to have their High School Guidance Counselor verify information regarding the applicant's stated academic achievements.

3. Essay: This comprises 10% of the selection score. The applicant is asked to provide a short essay (one page maximum) on the topic “Life-long lessons I have learned from WASA soccer”. The essay should also contain a statement about how the applicant’s experience in WASA has aided their personal growth and development.

From the list of applicants, the WASA Staff will accept nominations and appoint a three person selection committee at the regularly scheduled May staff meeting. This will be determined by a simple majority vote of those present. The selection committee members will be impartial educators and community leaders not currently involved with the WASA league. Each member of the committee will assign a selection score, from 1 to 10 – the higher number is the better score, for each area. The forms will be returned to a designated WASA staff member, the weights stated above applied to the scores, and the top scoring applicants declared winners. If one or more final selection(s) cannot be determined due to applications with equal (i.e., tied) selection scores, the selection committee will reconsider the applications in question and rank them in order of their preference. Applicants chosen to receive awards will be notified via mail.

Purpose & Amount of Award

Upon receiving the award, the recipient is free to use the money for any college-related expense. The award amount is set, currently, at $1,000 per recipient and will be paid upon receipt of a college acceptance letter and the initial student instructional fee invoice.

Source of Funds

These awards will be budgeted for, and paid from, the WASA operating account. Award money not collected eighteen (18) months from the award date (prior to May 31 st ) will be returned to the WASA operating account.

Click here for the scholarship application