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2018 NAUW Flushing North Shore Branch

Elizabeth "Bessie" Coleman

College  Scholarship Application

Who is Ms. Coleman?

          

"Bessie Coleman was born into a large family in Atlanta, Texas, on January 26, 1892, the tenth of thirteen children. Her early childhood was a happy one, spent playing in the front yard or on the porch. Bessie saved her money and in 1910 took her savings and enrolled in the Colored Agricultural and Normal University in  Langston, Oklahoma. Bessie completed only one term before she ran out of money and was forced to return  to Waxahachie, Texas. It was with high hopes that Bessie escaped the oppressive Jim Crow south and headed to Chicago. Taking her cue from brother John's teasing remarks about French women flying and having careers, Bessie decided she would become a flier. Bessie's yearning to "amount to something" was now a driving force in her goal to become a pilot. Having secured funding from several sources and receiving a passport with English and French visas, Bessie departed for France in November of 1920. She completed in seven months, a ten-month course at the Ecole d'Aviation des Freres Caudon at Le Crotoy in the Somme. Learning to fly in a French Nieuport Type 82, Bessie's schooling included "tail spins, banking and looping the loop." She received her pilot's license from the renowned Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) on June 15, 1921.


Her   first   appearance   was   in   an   air   show   on   September 3,1922 at  Curtiss   Field   near New   York    City. Using borrowed planes Bessie continued exhibition flying and occasional parachute jumping. As she had often done in other U.S. locations, Bessie refused to perform unless the audiences were desegregated. Sadly, Coleman took her tragic last flight on April 30, 1926, in Jacksonville, Florida when she and her mechanic took the plane up for a test flight. Once aloft, the plane malfunctioned and 

 the mechanic lost control of the plane. Sadly, both Bessie and her mechanic perished in the crash. About 10,000 mourners paid their last respects to the first African American woman aviator, filing past her coffin in Chicago South's Side.

 

Her dream of a flying school for African Americans became a reality when William J. Powell established the Bessie Coleman Aero Club in Los Angeles, California in 1929. As a result of being affiliated, educated or inspired directly or indirectly, by the Bessie Coleman Aero Club, flyers like the Five Blackbirds, the Flying Hobos (James Banning and Thomas Allen), the Tuskegee Airmen, Cornelius Coffey, John Robison, Willa Brown and Harold Hurd continued to make Bessie Coleman's dream a reality. Coleman has not been forgotten in the decades since her death. Since 1931, black pilots from Chicago instituted an annual fly over her grave. In 1977, a group of African American women pilots established the Bessie Coleman Aviators Club and in 1992, a Chicago City Council Resolution requested that the U.S. Postal Service issue a Bessie Coleman stamp. The resolution noted that "Bessie Coleman continues to inspire untold thousands, even millions of young persons with her sense of adventure, her positive attitude, and her determination to succeed."

 

 

Biography retrieved from: http:// www.bessiecoleman.com

 

The National Association of University Women (NAUW) - Flushing North Shore Branch seeks qualified and motivated individuals to apply for its inaugural 2018 Elizabeth "Bessie" Coleman Scholarship award.  The award is named in recognition of trailblazer and pioneer pilot Elizabeth "Bessie" Coleman. Coleman was the first African American woman to earn a pilot license and the first person of African American descent to gain an international pilot license.  This award encapsulates the unwavering spirit of a determined woman, destined to exceed the racial and gender barriers of her time. Please adhere to all instructions as you complete and submit your application.


All applicants must meet every criteria listed below:

Criteria #1

  1. Full Time Matriculated Student Sophomore or Junior level student attending  Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology

  2. US Citizen or Legal Permanent Resident

  3. African American or African descent

  4. GPA - Minimum C which is equivalent to a 70% GPA which is equivalent to a 2.0/4.0  GPA

  5. Document unpaid volunteer work.

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Criteria #2

After pass the pre-screening process, application MUST appear for a personal interview dressed in business attire or the application will be automatically withdrawn from further consideration.

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Criteria #3

    Attend the 22nd Annual Scholarship Luncheon if awarded the scholarship.

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ALL APPLICANTS MUST SUBMIT THIS ELECTRONIC APPLICATION BY JANUARY 20, 2018

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Required Items to Submit Electronically  

  • 1 Completed and Electronically Signed Student Application

  • Attach the following documents to the application

    • 1 Personal Statement  (1000 words each) 

    • 1  Official High School Transcript with Seal

    • 2  Letter of Recommendation Letter on Official Letter Head

    • 1 Passport Photo OR Yearbook Picture (in pdf or word document)

 

For any more information, please contact us at NAUWFNSScholarship@Gmail.com

If selected to receive a scholarship, the award announcements will be made at:

 

22nd ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP LUNCHEON

Saturday May 5,  2018 @ 12pm

 

THEME: “UNMASKING THE EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS OF OUR SCHOLARS”

 

TERRACE ON THE PARK

52-11 111th Street

Flushing, New York 11368

 

Regards,

Scholarship Committee

Fill out the application PRIOR to deadline and click on the green  "Submit Button" at the bottom of the page. 

Parent Information

Employment or Volunteer Work ( list current or past opportunities)

Company/Organization / Postition

Location

Dates of Employment

Official Transcript w/ School Seal

Upload School Transcript

1 Passport photo OR yearbook picture (in pdf  or word document

Upload Picture

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STUDENT PERSONAL STATEMENT PAGE

 

SUBMIT A TYPED SINGLE SPACED 1000 WORD ESSAY

 TIMES NEW ROMAN - 12 POINT FONT

 PLACE YOUR NAME AT THE TOP OF EACH PAGE.

 

DIRECTIONS:  ANSWER (1) ONE OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.

 

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1.Describe a person (either a historical figure or a relative) or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.

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2. Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, how did you overcome this failure, and what lessons did you learn? Was there someone that helped you overcome this failure and explain how they helped you? (NOTE: Growing and maturing is about learning from our failures).   

 

3. Discuss an issue confronting our current educational system on a state, national, or international level and its specific importance to you.  How has this issue impacted your decision to pursue higher education?  How would you resolve this issue?

 

 

Upload Personal Statement

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PROFESSOR LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION

 

STUDENT MUST SUBMIT A RECOMMENDATION LETTER FROM YOUR PROFESSOR.  THIS LETTER MUST BE TYPED ON AN OFFICIAL LETTERHEAD WITH THE PROFESSOR’S SIGNATURE ON THE LETTER. PROFESSOR  MAY BE CONTACTED BY A MEMBER OF THE SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE REGARDING HIS/HER LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION.

 

DIRECTIONS:  The  letter must attest to the applicant’s academic/educational abilities and accomplishments.  Applicant CANNOT be related to person writing this letter of recommendation. 

 

Upload Teacher's Reccomendation Letter

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PERSONAL  LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION

 

STUDENT MUST SUBMIT A PERSONAL RECOMMENDATION LETTER FROM SOMEONE WHO CAN ATTEST TO YOUR CHARACTER, MOTIVATION, AND PROSPECT FOR SUCCESS IN THE FUTURE SUCH AS A COACH, VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR, OR MENTOR. THIS LETTER MUST BE TYPED ON AN OFFICIAL LETTERHEAD AND SIGNED BY THE WRITER. RECCOMENDER MAY BE CONTACTED BY A MEMBER OF THE SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE REGARDING HIS/HER LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION.

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DIRECTIONS: Writer must attest to the applicant’s personal character and commitment to unpaid volunteer service activities.  Applicant CANNOT be related to person writing this letter of recommendation. 

 

Upload Volunteer Service Letter Recommendation

IMPORTANT: Once successfully clicking on the Submit your Submit Scholarship Application Button. You should see a Thank you for submitting your Scholarship Application page. If you do not receive this page some of the fields have not been populated in the application. Scroll up and place information in any fields highlighted in RED then click on the Click Here to Submit Scholarship Application Button.

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