NATIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS

Bank of Hope has announced that the Hope Scholarship Foundation application period is

now open for the 2021-2022 academic year. As a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting education, Hope Scholarship Foundation is funding $150,000 in scholarships to select college-

bound high school students graduating in the current year. Hope Scholarship will be awarded to a

total of 60 students in the amount of $2,500 each.

As an affiliated organization, the Hope Scholarship Foundation seeks to provide educational resources to bright future leaders in support of Bank of Hope’s mission statement to foster growth in its communities as Bankers, Experts and Neighbors.

“As one of the leading Asian American Banks, Bank of Hope takes great pride in supporting education in the communities where it operates and has distributed $2.15 million in scholarships to date through the Hope Scholarship Foundation for the past 20 years,” said Kevin Kim, Chairman & CEO of Bank of Hope. “Through this opportunity, we hope that the Hope Scholars can be a ‘small but great hope’ for our students to advance their future despite various difficult conditions caused by COVID-19 this year.”

For eligibility requirements please visit our website.

To apply, students must achieve a total cumulative GPA (3½ years) of at least 3.2 and meet one of the following:

1. Are Roman Catholic and of Italian Descent and live within the Roman Catholic Dioceses of Arizona, California, Illinois and Nevada, only where Branches of the Federation are established; or,
2. Are Roman Catholic but need not be of Italian Descent or live where Branches of the Federation are established if either Roman Catholic parent, guardian or grandparent is a member of the “Italian Catholic Federation.”

First year scholarships in the amount of $400 will be awarded to approximately 200 applicants. First year scholarship winners are eligible for second, third, and fourth year awards of $500, $600, and $1,000 respectively.

Applications will be judged and evaluated on:

• Scholastic Achievement – TOTAL CUMULATIVE GPA (3½ years) and CLASS RANK
• Financial Need
• Leadership Role
• Extracurricular Activities and Charitable Efforts
• Family Membership/Activities in the I.C.F. (if applicable)

The Coolidge Scholarship is a full-ride, four-year, merit scholarship that may be used by recipients for undergraduate study at any accredited college or university in the United States. Any high school junior who plans to enroll in college in the fall of 2022 and is an American citizen or legal permanent resident is eligible to apply (current high school seniors are not eligible to apply).

Alert: the application requires that applicants read President Coolidge’s Autobiography and complete a few other reading assignments. While the book is not overly long, we encourage applicants to begin the application early so that they have plenty of time. Candidates who begin the application at the last minute are unlikely to be successful.

This online application is extensive and may require several hours to complete. You are able to start the application and save your progress as you complete each section. We have provided an Application Information Checklist to assist you in gathering information and to streamline the process of applying for a scholarship.

Download an Application Information Checklist 

Applicants must enter five Navy ROTC affiliated colleges or universities in their scholarship application. If selected, we will try to place your scholarship at your first choice school, but due to limits on the number of scholarships that may be placed at each NROTC school, your scholarship may be placed at your second through fifth choice school. The scholarship offer is for a specific school and may not be used at any other NROTC school without prior approval. You must apply to, be accepted at, and enroll in your assigned school in order to utilize the scholarship. Applying to more than just your first choice school will increase the chances for acceptance and enrollment and will therefore increase the opportunities to use a scholarship if selected.

Each applicant must also select an academic program in which he or she intends to major. All academic programs fall into three tiers relative to the Navy’s technical needs.

Scholarships will be awarded to a NROTC school in conjunction with the academic major and tier the applicant specified on their application. If offered the scholarship, the student is expected to attend the school where their scholarship is placed. If you no longer desire or are not admitted to the school where your scholarship is placed, you may request a change of placement to move your scholarship to another school. If that school has room for another scholarship, we will move your scholarship to that school. If not, you may request to be placed on that school’s wait-list and we will try to move your scholarship there if room becomes available. Requests are processed and approved by the NROTC Placement Office. The student must be mindful if they choose a cross-town school that there may be cross-town commuting costs and class timing issues which will need to be resolved. The school you are enrolled in must support the academic major or equivalent for which the scholarship was awarded. Also, the student must have applied for admission to and been accepted at any school they wish to utilize the scholarship.