Manassas City Public Schools Education Foundation (MCPSEF) is delighted to award scholarships to graduating Osbourn High School seniors for our 25th consecutive year. Funds come from a variety of sponsors, and each has unique eligibility requirements. 

Scholarship applications will be reviewed by a committee composed of board members and sponsors and will be awarded in May.

The link to the application is at the bottom of this page!

I. Guidelines and General Eligibility 

• Students must use scholarship funds for higher education (university/college/community college/technical school) expenses only. 
• Manassas City Public Schools Education Foundation (MCPSEF) shall make all payments directly to the higher education institution. 
• OHS must verify a student’s acceptance to an institution of higher education before funds are awarded.  
• By applying, students and their parents agree to sign an MCPSEF media permission should the student be awarded a scholarship.

The scholarships will be awarded based on reviews by the judging committee and its recommendations to our Board of Directors. The judging committee will consider the strength of the applications based on the following criteria: 

• • • • Meets career path/field of study required by the specific sponsor (if applicable). If the application does not meet these criteria, it will be disqualified.
      • Meets any other unique criteria specific to that scholarship
      • Relevancy of the essay 
      • Strong recommendation(s)
      • Strength of GPA – (except for HireGround Entrepreneur and Mays Family scholarships)
      • Extracurricular activities and honors/awards: School/community/employment/family responsibilities (activities outside the classroom required for all scholarships except the HireGround Entrepreneur scholarship)

The candidate must:

• Be a member of the current graduating class of Osbourn High School. 
• Plan to attend (and have applied to) a university/college/community college/technical school and enter that institution for the 2022-23 academic year. 
• Be in good standing with Osbourn High School in terms of character, citizenship and academics, with a minimum GPA of 2.5.
• Submit an essay (500-600 words) that responds to the question/subject for your scholarship. Some scholarships have unique essay subjects. 
• Submit at least one recommendation from a teacher, mentor, employer or as described in the specific scholarship. For the community service scholarship only, a second recommendation is required from a community service representative.

II. Scholarships Offered &  Eligibility Requirements

The first step is to decide which scholarship(s) is right for your qualifications and aspirations. Manassas City Public Schools Education Foundation provides 14 scholarship opportunities, with separate eligibility requirements in addition to those listed above. Please read and carefully answer the eligibility questions below, to help determine which, if any, scholarships for which you can be considered. This is for your planning purposes only and should not be submitted. A summary chart follows for quick reference.

SWIFT Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) Scholarship – $2,000 (up to 2 available)

• Candidate must attend a four-year college (or two-year college with plans to later enroll in a four-year college) for the 2022-23 academic year.
• Candidate should plan to pursue a degree in a STEM field of study related to engineering, computational science, information technology, coding/programming, network systems/operations or cybersecurity that aligns with SWIFT’s career paths.
• Required essay (500-600 words) must describe the importance of STEM and why you are pursuing this field of study.
• Candidate must have participated in school or community activities or employment while in high school.
• One recommendation is required from a teacher, mentor, or employer.
• Sponsored by SWIFT

Have you applied to/been accepted by a four-year or two-year college? ____Yes ____No

Are you planning to pursue a STEM degree in a field of study related to a field that aligns with SWIFTʼs career paths as desccribed above? ____Yes ____No

UVA Health Medical/Health Sciences Scholarship – $2,000 (up to 2 available)

• Candidate must attend a community or four-year college, or technical school/vocational certificate program for the 2022-23 academic year. 

• Candidate field of study must be in the medical and health sciences career pathway. For example, studying to become a registered nurse, physician assistant, physician, psychologist, social worker, pharmacist, radiology technician, physical therapist, medical laboratory technician, or sterile processing technician. 

• Required essay (500-600 words) must describe why you are pursuing this field of study and what uniquely qualifies you for it.

• Candidate must have participated in school or community activities or employment while in high school.
• One recommendation is required from a teacher, mentor, or employer.
• Sponsored by UVA Health

Have you applied to/been accepted by a community college, technical/vocational school or four-year college? ____Yes ____No

Are you planning to pursue a field of study in the medical/health sciences career pathway? ____Yes ____No

Apple Future Teacher Scholarship – $2,000 (up to 2 available)

• Candidate must attend a four-year college (or two-year college with intent to transfer) for the 2022-23 academic year.
• Candidate must intend to pursue a licensed teacher certificate with the goal to become a classroom teacher. Candidate’s employment would reduce inequities in the diversity of the teacher workforce.
• Required essay (500-600 words) must describe why you are uniquely qualified for and interested in becoming a classroom teacher. 
• Candidate must participate in school or community service activities or employment while in high school .
• One recommendation required from a teacher or mentor.
• Sponsored by the former Apple Federal Credit Union Education Foundation.

Are you planning to pursue a licensed teaching certificate? ____Yes ____No

Is your goal to be a classroom teacher? ____Yes ____No

Do you believe your employment as a teacher will reduce inequities in the diversity of the teacher workforce? ____Yes ____No

Delegate Harry J. Parrish Community Service Scholarship – $2,000

• Candidate must attend a four-year college for the 2022-23 academic year.

• Candidate must have held a leadership position in two or more organizations and been active in community service throughout high school. 

• Required essay (500-600 words) must describe the importance of community service and how you have served the community.

• Two recommendations required: One from a teacher and a second recommendation from a community service representative.

• Sponsored by Mayor Harry Parrish and Judith Ratcliffe in memory of their father, Virginia State Delegate Harry J. Parrish. 

Have you applied to/been accepted by a four-year college? ____Yes ____No

Have you held leadership positions in two or more organizations? ____Yes ____No

Have you been active in community service throughout high school? ____Yes ____No

Fine Arts Scholarship – $2,000

• Candidate must attend a four-year college (or two-year college with plans to transfer) for the 2022-23 academic year.
• Candidate must plan to pursue an artistic field of study, such as art, dance, music, etc.
• Required essay (500-600 words) must describe the importance of the arts and why you are pursuing this field of study.
• Candidate must participate in school or community service activities or employment while in high school.
• One recommendation required from a teacher, arts community representative, mentor, or employer.
• Sponsored by Imagine Design

Have you applied to/been accepted by a four-year college? ____Yes ____No

Are you planning to pursue an artistic field of study? ____Yes ____No

Micron Career & Technical Education (CTE) Scholarship – $2,000

• Candidate must attend a college, technical school or vocational training school for the 2022-23 academic year to pursue a professional certification, an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree. 
• Candidate should have completed a CTE program of study relevant to career paths such as engineering, automotive technology, construction technology, carpentry, computer science or information technology or cybersecurity.
• Candidate planned career path must be relevant to the programs of study listed above.
• Required essay (500-600 words) must describe why you are pursuing this field of study. 
• Candidate must participate in school or community service activities or employment while in high school.
• Candidate must submit one recommendation from a teacher, mentor or employer. 
• Sponsored by Micron.

Have you applied to/been accepted by a four-year or community college, technical school or vocational training program? ____Yes ____No

Are you planning to pursue a career in a field of study related to those described above? ____Yes ____No

Have you completed a CTE program of study related to one of those fields? ___ Yes ___ No

Micron Science Technology Engineering & Math (STEM) Scholarship – $2,000 (up to 2 available)

• Candidate must attend a four-year college (or two-year college with intent to transfer) for the 2022-23 academic year.

• Candidate should pursue a degree in a STEM field of study related to: Engineering– such as electrical, industrial, chemical, mechanical, software, or computer engineering; Material science; computer science; data analysis; information technology; or cybersecurity. 

• Required essay (500-600 words) must describe the importance of STEM and why you are pursuing this field of study.

• Candidate must participate in school or community service activities or employment while in high school.

• Candidate must submit one recommendation from a teacher, mentor or employer.

• Sponsored by Micron

Have you applied to/been accepted by a four-year college, or a two-year college with plans to transfer? ____Yes ____No

Are you planning to pursue a STEM degree in a field of study related to those listed above? ____Yes ____No

 Lockheed Martin Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Scholarship – $1,500

• Candidate must attend a four-year college (or two-year college with plans to later enroll in a four-year college) for the 2022-23 academic year. 

• Candidates should pursue a degree in a STEM field in disciplines of computer science or various engineering disciplines that align with Lockheed Martin’s career paths. Candidates planning to pursue a major in engineering, computer science, math, or physics are eligible for this scholarship opportunity. 

• Required essay (500-600 words) must describe the importance of STEM and why you are pursuing this field of study. 

• Candidate must participate in school or community service activities or employment while in high school.

• Recipient will be eligible to apply for a Lockheed Martin paid internship opportunity. 

• Sponsored by Lockheed Martin

Have you applied to/been accepted by a four-year or two-year college with plans to transfer? ____Yes ____No

Are you planning to pursue a degree in a STEM field of study related to engineering, computer science or cybersecurity that aligns with Lockheed Martinʼs career paths? ____Yes ____No

HireGround Entrepreneur Scholarship – $1,500

• Candidate must attend a community college or accredited technical/vocational school for the 2022-23 academic year.
• The purpose of attending college is to meet the requirement(s) of a license/certification and/or to complete courses related to candidate’s business venture or business upskills. For example, requirements to become a chef, certified nursing assistant, barber, social media consultant, health/fitness coach, etc.
• Candidate must already have a service or product idea to sell.
• Candidate field of study must be related to furthering the product or service concept or related to learning the business/finance skills needed to own/run a business.
• Required essay (500-600 words) must describe your product or service idea and your clear plan for how it will become a sustainable business.
• One recommendation required from an OHS teacher, counselor or mentor.
• Strength of GPA and extracurricular activities are not weighing factors in the review committee’s decision if the student has a 2.5 minimum GPA and is in good standing with OHS.
• Sponsored by HireGround, Inc.

Have you applied to/been accepted by a community college or technical/vocational school? ____Yes ____No

Do you already have a service or product idea to sell? ____Yes ____No

Do you have a minimum 2.5 GPA? ____Yes ____No 

The Mays Family Scholarship – $500

• Candidate must attend a two-year or four-year college or vocational/training school for the 2022-23 academic year.
• Candidate must participate in school or community service activities or employment while in high school.
• Strength of GPA will not weigh in the decision as long as the student has a minimum 2.5 GPA and is in good standing with OHS.
• Required essay (500-600 words) must describe why furthering your education is important to you and how this scholarship will help you do that.
• One recommendation required from a teacher, mentor or employer.
• Sponsored by the Mays Family

Have you applied to/been accepted by a community college, vocational school or four-year college?____Yes ____No

Is your GPA at least 2.5? ____Yes _____No

III. How to Apply

This section is very important. Read carefully. The application requires two parts: 

1. Student Application, which includes uploaded essay(s) 
2. Recommendation Form(s)

New this year, we are using Google forms instead of downloaded PDF applications. 

There are two Google forms, one for the student to complete and submit via the form online; and a separate Google form for the recommender to complete and submit (separately) via the form online. 

You will complete and submit just ONE Google application form, regardless of how many scholarships you apply to. Once you are in the Google application form, you will:

1. Fill out the general information 
2. Choose the scholarships you want to apply to; 
3. Upload a separate essay for each scholarship; and 
4. Address unique requirements for the scholarships, if applicable

This all occurs within the single form. If you have any questions after looking it over, please email us at [email protected].

Recommendation Form

Recommendations will only be reviewed if received via Google Forms.

• Choose an OHS teacher, mentor, employer or community representative, when applicable, who knows you well.  
• Make your request in person, by a telephone conversation or by email at least two weeks in advance of March 18. 
• Email the Recommender Form link to the person you have asked. You can right click on this link: https://bit.ly/recommender-form and paste it into an email.
•  It is YOUR responsibility to make sure your recommender completes the form by March 18.
• Once he or she submits the form, it will be electronically sent to us. You will not know if or when the form is sent unless you follow up with your recommender.