The St. Johns County Education Foundation, under the auspices of Investing in Kids (INK!), has announced that scholarship applications for public school graduating seniors in St. Johns County, including St. Augustine, are available online.
Funding will assist with education and training for college, university, technical and vocational schooling.
Click here for eligibility requirements and criteria. Application deadline is Saturday, March 23. The application portal will guide applicants through two applications: a standard application and one that requires needs-based information.
“It’s no secret that post-secondary education can be expensive,” said Cathy Newman, INK!s executive director. “With the support of local donors, INK! can offer over $50,000 in scholarships to graduating seniors to pursue their educational goals to fulfill their potential and their dreams.”
INK! scholarships totaling up to $50,000 include:
+ Tanner Gillespie Memorial Firefighter Scholarship: $3,800 to a St. Johns County a high school senior interested in becoming a firefighter. The scholarship honors Jacksonville firefighter Tanner Gillespie, who died in an off-duty accident in November 2023.
+ Rays of Hope Foundation Scholarship: $1,000 to one senior attending an accredited vocational or technical school in Florida.
+ Dr. Wayne Hartley Memorial Scholarships for The Academies: $1,000 to six graduating seniors from Allan D. Nease High School, St. Augustine High School or Pedro Menendez High School. Established in memory of Dr. Wayne Hartley, a St. Johns County educator. Hartley Memorial Scholarships will be awarded to two students from each school.
+ Jack Hamilton Wheeler Memorial Scholarships: $2,500, $2,000 and $1,500 to students pursuing college or vocational schools this fall. The scholarship honors the legacy of Jack Hamilton Wheeler, a senior at Creekside High School who lost his life in a tragic accident in 2019.
+ David Toner Scholarship: $1,000 to a student attending Florida State University this fall. Applicants must demonstrate the 6 Pillars of Character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.
+ Tucker McCarty Health Science Scholarship: $1,000 to a Pedro Menendez High School student graduating from UF Health Academy of Medical and Health Careers.
+ MacDonald Family Education Scholarship: $1,000 to a Bartram Trail High School graduate or the teaching academies at Creekside High School, Ponte Vedra High School and St. Augustine High School.
+ Lt. Col. Sally MacDonald Memorial Scholarship: An active senior member of the Junior Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (JROTC) receives a tuition value of 30 credit hours at a Florida public state college. The scholarship is need-based and available to students whose families meet the required income eligibility.
Investing in Kids Jumpstart Scholarships offers six need-based scholarships valued at 30 credit hours to any Florida state college.
Applications also can be submitted as a hard copy to public school guidance counselors or to INK! directly by March 23. Visit https://apply.ink-stjohns.org/ for application information.
INK!, a 501(c)(3) organization, supports St. Johns County public school students and teachers through innovative programs, teacher support and classroom resources, benefitting 52,000 students and approximately 3,200 teachers.