The Mesothelioma.com Scholarship awards $4,000 annually to one student whose life has been impacted by cancer. Mesothelioma.com offers this scholarship to provide financial assistance to students in their pursuit of higher education. If you or a close loved one have battled a form of cancer, we want to hear your story.
Application Status: Now accepting applications for the 2024 academic year
Application Deadline: March 31, 2024, 11:59 PM (EST)
Scholarship Award: $4,000
Who Our Scholarship Helps
The Mesothelioma.com Scholarship helps students whose lives have been affected by any type of cancer, not just mesothelioma. The following types of students are eligible to apply:
- Those who have experienced their own cancer diagnosis, current or past
- Those who have a parent, sibling, immediate family member, or close friend who has battled, or is currently fighting cancer
We know how devastating a cancer diagnosis can be. Through our work with mesothelioma patients and their loved ones, we recognize the mental, emotional, and financial strain this disease can cause.
Mesothelioma.com Scholarship History
The first Mesothelioma.com Scholarship was awarded for the 2015 school year. The scholarship program was created in honor of mesothelioma survivor and advocate, Heather Von St. James, and her husband Cameron, who enrolled in college after Heather’s diagnosis.
Now, we want to hear about your experience, how it affected you, and how we can help.
Scholarship Application Requirements
Students who submit full applications will be considered for the Mesothelioma.com Scholarship. The application process is broken down into four steps: determining your eligibility, writing an essay, compiling your additional documents and correctly formatting and submitting your application.
Step 1: Determine Your Eligibility
People affected by any type of cancer, not just mesothelioma, are eligible to apply for the Mesothelioma.com scholarship. In addition to being affected by cancer, applicants must:
- Be enrolled full-time at an accredited two-year or four-year university, community college, junior college, or graduate degree program in the United States
- Be a United States citizen
- Be in academic “good standing” and have a minimum grade point average of 3.2
If you meet these requirements, you are eligible to apply for the scholarship.
Step 2: Write An Essay About Your Cancer Experience
Applicants must submit a written essay (500 – 1,000 words) or video submission (4 – 5 minutes) answering the following questions:
- How has cancer affected your life and outlook on your goals?
- How did this adversity shape who you are today?
- What would this scholarship mean to you? Why is it important?
In the top left corner of the essay document, or in the description of your video submission, please also include a header with the following information:
Format
- Student Name
- Date of Submission
- Details of Cancer You Encountered
- Field You Wish to Study
Step 3: Gather Additional Documents
In addition to the essay, please submit all of the following:
- Unofficial academic transcript: Your transcript is used to verify your GPA.
- Proof of enrollment: Eligible applicants are enrolled at an accredited two-year or four-year university, community college, junior college, or graduate degree program. Proof of enrollment may be an official letter verifying your enrollment, your class schedule for the current semester or a bursar bill showing your deposit. High school seniors may submit their acceptance letters if they have not yet committed to a college.
- One letter of recommendation (LOR): Your LOR should detail why you are the best candidate to receive the scholarship. Preference will be given to students whose LOR speaks to why they deserve this scholarship, specifically. We prefer students to submit their letters directly on our portal. However, if a recommender is not comfortable with this, they can email their letter directly to us at scholarships@mesothelioma.com. Instruct them to include your full name and “Letter of Recommendation” as the subject of the email. On the application portal, the student should then submit a document stating the name of their recommender.
- Honors & volunteer work: This optional document should detail any honors you have received and any volunteer work you have done. Please summarize in one document with 1 – 2 sentences for each activity. A CV or resume is an acceptable substitution.
Step 4: Format and Submit Application Using Application Form
Students can submit their application using the form further down this page. Please submit all documents in PDF format with the following naming conventions:
- LastName_Enrollment
- LastName_Essay
- LastName_HonorsVolunteerSummary
- LastName_LOR
- LastName_Transcript
Mesothelioma.com Scholarship Selection Process
For the Fall 2024 Mesothelioma.com Scholarship, all applications are due by 11:59 PM EST on March 31, 2024. All entries will be reviewed by the staff at Mesothelioma.com once the deadline passes. The winner will be chosen based on:
- Commitment to academic excellence
- Financial need
- The positive impact the applicant has had on those around them
- Quality of their submitted materials
- Strength in the face of adversity
The student who is awarded the $4,000 scholarship will be notified no later than May 1, 2024. Funds will be disbursed to the student’s school for the Fall 2024 semester. The winner will then be announced through Mesothelioma.com’s social network of over 50,000 followers. Mesothelioma.com will only contact the winner of the scholarship.
Any attempt to falsify claims in an applicant’s story will result in immediate disqualification.
Have a Question About the Mesothelioma.com Scholarship?
Contact us at scholarships@mesothelioma.com.