ESSENCE Magazine Offers Generation Next Scholarships

ESSENCE magazine has partnered with The Sallie Mae Fund, a charitable organization sponsored by Sallie Mae, to present the "Generation Next" scholarship competition. This program will award five young African-American women each a $5,000 college scholarship from The Sallie Mae Fund, an all-inclusive trip to attend one of the first-annual ESSENCE Young Women Leadership Conferences. In addition, winners will receive recognition in a special magazine feature in the October 2008 issue of ESSENCE. 

To be eligible, each contestant must be an African-American female who is enrolled as a freshman at an accredited postsecondary institution.  She must be a United States citizen or permanent resident, have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, have a family adjusted gross income for 2007 of $50,000 or less, and demonstrate leadership and community service experience.

Applicants must also submit a 500-word essay on the additional ways that they plan to continue to ensure success while in college.  The application deadline is June 15. Winners will be selected by committee and announced on or about June 30, 2008.

"On average, college graduates earn $1 million more than high school graduates over their lifetimes, yet research shows that young Black women are only about half as likely as their White counterparts to earn a college degree," said Erin Korsvall, director of community outreach, Sallie Mae, and vice president, The Sallie Mae Fund. "The Sallie Mae Fund is pleased to collaborate with the premier African-American women's magazine to spread the college-is-possible message to African-American women."

The "Generation Next" competition is one of the first phases of ESSENCE's new philanthropic platform, "Power to Empower" a new initiative reinforcing the magazine's connection to the community. The goal of the new initiative is to empower African-American women and support them while addressing critical issues such as education, health, arts & culture, and financial literacy. ESSENCE will partner with several organizations including Susan G. Komen/Circle of Promise, The Children's Defense Fund and more to create focus platforms on these issues.

"ESSENCE has always been committed to uplifting and mentoring our young women," says Angela Burt-Murray, Editor in Chief, ESSENCE. "The ‘Generation Next' competition and the first-annual ESSENCE Young Women Leadership Conference are exciting new opportunities we are presenting along with The Sallie Mae Fund to encourage young girls and help them achieve their dreams."

In addition, scholarship applicants will receive information on planning and paying for college, including Black College Dollars, a scholarship directory sponsored by The Sallie Mae Fund and available at www.salliemaefund.org. In total, The Sallie Mae Fund will award roughly $2 million in scholarships to students attending college this fall.

Additional eligibility requirements and an online application form are available at www.essence.com/essence/generationnext/index.html

Deadline – June 15, 2008