Education

Scholarship Program

The Texas Pond is proud to offer an opportunity for a deserving student of one of our Blue Goose members.

Timeline:

  1. Applications to be submitted and received by April 30th.
  2. Committee to review all submitted applications in month of May.
  3. Committee to evaluate and make recommendation on the number of scholarships and amount of each scholarship.
  4. Committee submits their recommendations to the Texas Pond Executive Committee for approval by June Executive meeting date.
  5. Awarded Scholarships will be announced at the June Blue Goose meeting of the Texas Pond.
  6. Awards will be issued to the applicable school in July/August after receipt of transcripts and verification that they meet the criteria established in the scholarship guidelines.

bluegoose

Honorable Order of the Blue Goose International
Scholarship Program for the Texas Pond

The objects of this Order shall be promotion of charity, good fellowship, and acts of benevolence among its members.

Eligibility Criteria

  1. Recipient must be a qualified dependent (son or daughter as declared for tax purposes), or verifiable grandson/granddaughter of a Blue Goose member of the Texas Pond.
  2. The sponsoring Blue Goose member must be an initiated member of The Honorable Order of Blue Goose International for two operating years (July to June) immediately prior to submission of the application.
  3. The sponsoring Blue Goose member must be in good standing with the Texas Pond and the Grand Nest. All Texas Pond dues must be current, and the Blue Goose member must attend four (4) Texas Pond meetings or events between July 1st – April 30th for an applicant’s scholarship application to be reviewed and considered for award. The Blue Goose fiscal year runs from July 1st to June 30th.
  4. Applicants for a Blue Goose Scholarship recipient may include:
    1. Current senior in high school, or prep school, and must be currently or subsequently enrolled in, and accepted as, a full-time undergraduate student at an accredited college, junior/ community college, university, or certified trade school.
    2. Current college student enrolled as a full-time student at an accredited college, junior/community college, university or trade school for the freshman, sophomore, or junior year.
    3. Returning college student, qualified dependent member, or member of Blue Goose who has been out of school for two or more years and has been an active member of the Texas Pond for three or more years and has consistently attended four (4) or more meetings since becoming an initiated member.
  5. Current Blue Goose Scholarship recipients requesting renewal may reapply for scholarship funds, up to five (5) years, provided the recipient has maintained eligibility; a satisfactory academic record; the sponsoring Blue Goose member has remained in good standing with the Texas Pond and Grand Nest as outlined in #1, #2 and #3 above; and the recipient has made a written request for scholarship renewal by submitting an updated scholarship application and all required attachments. If a renewal scholarship is awarded, it may or may not be at the same amount as the original scholarship award.
  6. The Texas Pond Executive Committee allocates funds each year to be awarded for scholarships. Scholarships and scholarship amounts are awarded at the sole discretion of the Texas Pond Scholarship Committee and approved by the Executive Committee of the Texas Pond.
  7. Scholarship awards are paid in two equal installments and will be made payable to the awarded applicant AND the accredited institution the applicant has chosen to attend and has been formally accepted to attend. To receive the second portion of the scholarship award, the applicant must submit a copy of the first semester transcript and proof of enrollment in classes for the second semester. This information must be received by January 15th to receive the second award. In the event of withdrawal, dismissal, or failure to complete minimum hours required, or a minimum GPA to be qualified as a full-time student, any unused funds must be returned to the Texas Pond of Blue Goose.
  8. All applications must be completed and submitted in full. If mailed it must be postmarked by April 30th. NO application will be reviewed if the application package is incomplete or postmarked after April 30th.

Award Criteria

  1. Academics (GPA/Class Rank/ scores i.e., SAT)
  2. Extracurricular Activities
  3. Community Involvement
  4. Application essay (minimum of 500 words) (Neatness and grammar are considered.)
  5. Recommendations/references must be provided. The recommendations/reference documents must be originals (not copies) and dated within the last 6 months of date of application.
    1. Current high school student – 1 personal, and 2 academics
    2. Current college student – 2 professional (academic/work/organizational/charity/community)
    3. Returning to college after a period of academic separation – 2 professional (academic/work/organizational/charity/community)
    4. Current Blue Goose scholarship recipient requesting renewal – 2 professional (academic/work/organizational/charity/community)
  6. List any other financial aid or scholarships you have received for the school year. Include the dollar amount you are receiving.

Texas Pond Award Scholarship Structure

The Texas Pond Scholarship Committee will review all applicant’s submitted material and at their sole discretion choose the recipient (s) for the Texas Pond.

Awards can range anywhere from $500 to the discretionary level allocated for scholarship use in the given year. An applicant is not guaranteed the same amount of funds for each year should they happen to re-apply. Awards are based on merit and number of applications received.

Scholarship Application