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Updated: January 16, 2025 @ 12:27 am
Center, Mary Decker, a 2023 FCSF scholarship recipient, receives a $5,000 scholarship from the Fort Cavazos Family Scholarship Fund, during the scholarship award ceremony May 11, 2023, at the Main Post Chapel at Fort Cavazos.
Center, Mary Decker, a 2023 FCSF scholarship recipient, receives a $5,000 scholarship from the Fort Cavazos Family Scholarship Fund, during the scholarship award ceremony May 11, 2023, at the Main Post Chapel at Fort Cavazos.
As students move into the second half of the academic year it is time to consider scholarship opportunities.
Luckily, the Fort Cavazos Family Scholarship Fund provides that opportunity for high school seniors and spouses that are a part of the Fort Cavazos community.
Founded in 1985, the FCSF endeavors to break down barriers to educational achievement by offering academic scholarships to high school seniors and spouses who are dependents of active-duty, veterans and Gold Star families. Their reach spans Bell, Coryell, McLennan, Travis, Williamson and Lampasas Counties.
“Military spouses and children sacrifice a great deal to support their service member,” said Jennie Campbell, FCSF president. “Frequent moves make it difficult to establish roots in a community that might lead to opportunities for support. Despite these obstacles, our military families are resilient, and contribute a great deal to supporting the communities they live in.
“The FCSF offers an opportunity for the Fort Cavazos and surrounding communities to recognize those hard-working family members and demonstrate our support,” she continued. “Scholarships to support educational opportunities have the potential to make a huge impact in the lives of a high school senior and military spouse.”
The scholarship application period is now open through 11:59 p.m. Feb. 17. Those who wish to apply must turn in an original 500 – 700 word essay based on a question, provided by the FCSF, along with other required documents. If all of the application requirements are met, the essay moves through a blind judging process.
“Scholarships are judged by our esteemed selection committee made up of local community members and school leadership,” said Melissa Sims, FCSF vice president. “All judging is blind and scored based on the following categories: academic, community contribution and letters of recommendation. We then take the scores and award accordingly.”
This year not only can high school seniors and spouses who are pursuing their first degree apply, but spouses seeking a graduate degree can now apply as well.
“In order for spouses to have competitive jobs and careers, most require further education or a graduate degree,” Sims said. “We asked the community, ‘How can we better serve?’ and the overwhelming majority asked that we open up the eligibility to spouses seeking a graduate degree. We listened, spoke with some of our sponsors, like the Fort Cavazos Spouses Club, who advocated for the inclusion as well.”
This year’s essay questions are different for each applicant category in an effort to have applicants answer a question that better fits their experiences.
“We wanted to make them think a little bit more,” Sims said. “Everyone’s at different stages in their education process. You have the babies that are getting ready to go to college or are taking part in college classes. You have the undergrad spouses, who maybe they’ve had a big break in time since school, so they’re at a different stage in their life. Then you have the graduates who may be already working in their field, but in order for them to progress further they need to take that next step.”
Sims offered some words of encouragement for those who choose to apply.
“Take your time,” she said. “Think of your answer. Take time and read the essay (questions). That’s usually one of the biggest scoring things. That essay can make or break whether your score falls into this category of an amount of money or that category of money, or whether it qualifies you to even be in one of the categories to begin with.”
The FCSF will be accepting donations for the 2024-2025 scholarship recipients through April 20.
“We are definitely accepting donations,” Sims said. “Our ability to offer scholarships is only possible with the support of donations from our community.”
Campbell agreed, adding 95% of all donations fund the scholarships while 5% goes to minimal administrative costs. Tax-deductible donations can also be mailed to Fort Cavazos Family Scholarship Fund at P.O. Box 5299 Fort Cavazos, Texas, 76544. Those interested in a direct sponsorship opportunity can reach out to Campbell via email at president@fortcavazosscholarship.org.
“Every donation is deeply valued and appreciated,” she said. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to supporting the educational pursuits of military children and spouses.”
The FCSF is also looking for volunteers, as they have three board positions open for the 24-25 board year, and they are looking for volunteers to fill positions for the 25-26 board year.
To apply for a scholarship, visit fortcavazosscholarship.org/apply. Visit fortcavazosscholarship.org for more information about FCSF, donating and how to volunteer.
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