Senior Caroline McCance has received a $3,200 scholarship from the nationwide National Honor Society.  McCance was one of 600 students across the United States selected for the 

scholarship out of a pool of about 10,000 applicants.  She plans to use the money to pay for books and housing at Tulane University.

“I am very excited to have received this scholarship. I have worked very hard throughout high school, and I spent weeks and weeks working on my application, so I am glad that my hard work paid off,” said McCance.

The application process included information on coursework, service experience, fundraising efforts, work experience, and leadership opportunities.  

“I wrote descriptions of all activities that I have participated in throughout high school. Then, I wrote a lengthy essay about how the four pillars of NHS (scholarship, leadership, leadership, character) have shaped my high school experience and how I plan to apply these pillars to my education experience beyond high school,” said McCance.

Students must also submit a letter of recommendation from a teacher and certification from their National Honor Society chapter advisor.  

The 2020 application period began on October 1st and closed on December 4th.  McCance was informed that she was a winner on April 9th, 2021.  According to the NHS website, scholarship disbursement will begin in early August 2021.  Scholarship checks will be sent directly to the student’s resident and will be made payable to the student’s intended university.  

According to the National Honor Society’s website, 575 students received the $3,200 scholarship, 24 received $5,625, and 1 student received $25,000.  The total amount of money distributed in 2021 was $2,000,000.

The NHS website says, “Since 1946, more than $19 million in scholarships has been awarded to outstanding NHS senior members.”

High school seniors who are in good standing in their National Honor Society chapters are eligible to apply.  Students must reach NHS GPA requirements, as well as meet service activity hours and meet chapter expectations.  

McCance says, “I would tell future students to not get intimidated by how many students apply for the scholarship. When I learned that 10,000 other NHS members applied from around the nation, I knew that it would be VERY difficult to win the scholarship. But if you spend time and effort on your application and allow it to reflect your character, your hard work will pay off.”