Northwest Fisheries Scholarship Program

2010 NWFA Scholarship Award Recipients

Samantha Mierzejek APICDA	Bob Boroughs Endowment Fund Scholarship	$5,000
Allan Cushing Trident Seafoods	Ted Evans Endowment Fund Scholarship	$5,000
Haley Hodgin Icicle/American Gold Seafoods	Past Presidents’ Scholarship	$5,000
Eric Soriano Alaska Ship Supply	Board of Trustees Scholarship	$5,000
Daniel Griffin Alaska Marine Lines	General Scholarship	$5,000
Kristin Otness Ocean Products North America	General Scholarship	$5,000

Program Terms and Conditions

The Program

The Northwest Fisheries Association (NWFA) Scholarship Fund was established for the purpose of providing financial assistance for the higher education of NWFA member company families.

The NWFA Scholarship Fund is managed by the board of trustees of the NWFA. It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. Awards are granted without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability, or national origin.

Eligibility

Any qualified member company employee, or a spouse, domestic partner or dependent of a qualified employee who plans to attend college or a vocational-technical school full-time in the upcoming school year is eligible to apply for a scholarship. To qualify for eligibility the employee must have a minimum of one year of employment.

Qualifying Domestic Partnership

The NWFA Scholarship Fund allows unmarried couples living together in committed, on-going family relationships to participate.

Who are considered qualifying domestic partners under the NWFA scholarship program?

Couples (a man and a woman, two men, or two women) who meet the following conditions:

both are eighteen years of age or older;
neither is married to any person;
are not related by blood to one another in a manner that would bar their marriage in Washington State;
are living together in a relationship of mutual support, caring, and commitment; and do not have any other domestic partner.

Qualifying Dependent
Who are considered qualifying dependents under the NWFA scholarship program?
A "qualifying dependent" must satisfy all four of the following tests:

Relationship — the qualified member company employee’s child, stepchild, foster child, sibling or stepsibling, or grandchild.
Residence — has the same principal residence as the qualified member company employee. Exceptions apply, in certain cases, for children of divorced or separated parents.
Age — must be under the age of 19 at the end of the tax year, or under the age of 24 if a full-time student for at least five months of the year, or be permanently and totally disabled at any time during the year.
Support — did not provide more than one-half of his/her own support for the year.

Scholarship Awards

There will be a minimum of two NWFA Scholarships given out each year, one from the Bob Boroughs Endowment Fund, and one from the Ted Evans Endowment Fund. Other scholarship awards may be given by the board of trustees at their discretion, and may include a Past Presidents’ Scholarship, a Board Scholarship and a NWFA scholarship. Awards of $5,000 or more are granted. Only one scholarship per applicant per year will be awarded and no applicant can be awarded a NWFA scholarship more than twice.

Application

Interested individuals must complete an application form and mail it along with a current transcript of grades to NWFA, postmarked no later than March 1st.

Applicants are responsible for gathering and submitting all necessary information. Applications are evaluated on the information supplied; therefore, it is important to answer all questions completely. All information received is considered confidential and is reviewed only by the NWFA Scholarship Committee.

The application becomes complete and valid when you have returned all of the following materials by the due date:

A completed application, including your most recent GPA, applicant & member signatures.
An essay which must include educational goals (see application for more detail) and community service. Financial need may be addressed if appropriate.
A current transcript or a current letter of acceptance from an institution of higher learning.

Applicants will be notified via email of receipt of their application; winners will be posted on the NWFA website (www.northwestfisheries.org) by May 15th.

Selection of Recipients

Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of their applications and essays. Selection is determined solely by the NWFA board of directors. Notice of the awards will be made to awardees on or before May 1st.

Payment of Scholarship Awards

Scholarship award checks will be distributed to the recipients when proof of full-time* registration is received at the association office.

Revisions

NWFA reserves the right to review the conditions and procedures of this scholarship program and to make changes at any time including termination of the program. Previously approved scholarships will not be affected by subsequent changes to the program.

* 12 semester or quarter hours per term in a term-based program using credit hours

For more information contact the association office at 206-789-6197 or info@northwestfisheries.org.