You know about academic scholarships and the ones for athletes. You also may have heard about the ones that reward you for your awesome talents like playing music or designing clothes. But did you know that there’s a scholarship you can get for being nice?
Secret Mean Stinks has been working to bring an end to girl-to-girl bullying since 2011, and now the campaign is offering an opportunity for three girls to receive a major financial reward for helping to make their schools and communities a nicer place.
Have you had experience with bullying either personally or from afar? Do you have ideas on how to end it? Or even better, have you already done something to spread kindness in place of hate? Secret Mean Stinks wants to know what you’re doing (or plan to do) to end girl-to-girl bullying.
To apply for Mean Stinks' first-ever Nice Scholarship, go to MeanStinksScholarship.com and submit a personal essay discussing these points for the chance to win $10,000 to put toward your college education.
Here’s what the judges are looking for in your submission:
Purpose and Support: Show that you have a good understanding of the girl-to-girl bullying issue, and support it with examples that you’ve witnessed or endured personally. (25%)
Organization and Logic of Idea: Develop a sound plan to end girl-to-girl bullying in your community or school; this can be something you’ve already executed or a plan that you’ll execute in the future. (45%)
Leadership and Results: Articulate ways in which your plan has impacted your community. If the plan hasn’t been executed yet, discuss ways that you’ll measure success. (20%)
Grammar and Spelling: Make sure your essay is flawless (just like you). (10%)
The contest runs from October 15 - December 14, 2015 and is open to U.S. residents 17 and older. Find out all the other details, including rules and regulations, at MeanStinksScholarship.com.
Eighty-three percent of girls have reported experiencing some sort of harassment growing up — that’s a huge number! All of your efforts to end girl-to-girl bullying and spread nice will hopefully decrease that statistic in the near future. That’s why Secret Means Stinks and this scholarship speak to our hearts. Go forth, conquer, and good luck with your essays and changing the world!
