The Rising Scholar Award - Requirements

    • Kalamazoo Central High School

    • Loy Norrix High School

    • Phoenix High School

    • Kalamazoo Innovative Learning Program (KILP)

    • KPS Virtual Program

    • Portage Central High School

    • Portage Northern High School

    • Portage Community High School

    • There is no GPA/SAT/ACT requirement.

      • If an applicant’s GPA is under a cumulative 2.0 GPA, provide a brief statement explaining your current academic circumstances and plans for future growth in post-graduate performances.

        • There is a seperate upload section for this on the application form.

    • At some point in life, demonstrated participation in at least one of the following:

      • School club/organization

      • Sport (school or community)

      • After-school enrichment program

      • Part-time job, family caregiving responsibilities, or structured community service

    • Section A: Personal Statement (Minimum of 250 words)

      • Introduce yourself and describe a challenge/hardship you have faced and how it shaped your goals, work ethic, or educational perspective.

    • Section B: Personal Accomplishments (Up to 5)

      • List up to five accomplishments you are proud of (academic, athletic, community-based, or personal).

    • Section C: Post-Graduation Plan (Minimum 250 words)

      • Explain what you plan to do after graduation and how this scholarship will support your next step.

    • The organization will award a minimum of 2 scholarships to each individual KPS high school/program

    • Scholarship amounts range between $500–$1,500 per recipient.

    • Award amount and number of scholarships are determined by funds raised and the number of partnering schools each year.

    • February 5th: Scholarship essay portal opens

    • May 5th: Scholarship essay portal closes

    • June: Winner(s) announced and their award is gifted

      • Scholarship recipient receives a check

  • Scholarship selection committee consists of:

    • WLP Board Members, Executive Management, and Program Support Members.

    Review Approach

    Selection is holistic and considers:

    • Personal hardships and resilience

    • Academic effort and trajectory

    • Involvement in school/work/community

    • Future goals and postsecondary plans

  • The Weekley Legacy Project prevents bias in scholarship selection by using a standardized, rubric-based scoring process that evaluates each applicant using the same criteria (essay quality, leadership, service, resilience, and future goals). To further ensure fairness, essays are reviewed using a blind scoring method in which reviewers do not see identifying information such as the student’s name, school, or personal background details during the scoring phase. Multiple reviewers score each application independently, and final decisions are based on documented rubric scores rather than personal opinion or familiarity. This process promotes consistency, transparency, and equal opportunity for all applicants.

Submit Your Essay Here!

Press the link above to apply!

FAQs

How Scholarship Funds Are Distributed

1

The Rising Scholar Award may be paid directly to scholarship recipients by check or other traceable payment method. To protect program integrity and ensure responsible stewardship, recipients may be asked to provide proof of enrollment or acceptance at an accredited college, university, trade school, or postsecondary program.

Important Tax Notice (Scholarship Recipient Responsibility)

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Scholarship funds may be taxable depending on how they are used. Scholarships applied to qualified educational expenses (such as tuition, required fees, books, and required supplies) are often not taxable; however, funds used for other purposes (such as housing, meals, travel, or personal expenses) may be taxable. The Weekley Legacy Project does not provide tax advice. Recipients are responsible for any applicable tax reporting.

Program Integrity & Fairness

3

To protect fairness and prevent favoritism, all scholarship decisions are based on documented rubric scores rather than personal familiarity. Selection committee members are required to disclose conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from reviewing any applicant they have a personal connection with.

How can I contact you?

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You can reach us anytime via our contact page or email. We aim to respond quickly—usually within one business day.