Also-Known-As Adoptee Excellence Scholarship

Also-Known-As, Inc. is a New York-based national nonprofit adoptee organization that serves international adoptees and their families. Founded in 1996 by Hollee McGinnis, it is the longest-running adoptee-led organization for adoptee services in the United States. The mission of Also-Known-As is to build a community that empowers the voices of adult international adoptees, while providing resources and space to acknowledge the loss of birth country, culture, language, and biological family. Also-Known-As is not a culturally-specific organization.

The Also-Known-As Adoptee Excellence Scholarship is the first scholarship program of its kind that acknowledges, celebrates, and supports outstanding undergraduate students and graduating high school seniors who are international adoptees, born in and adopted from another country to the United States. It is open to international adoptees who demonstrate the attributes of leadership, drive, integrity, and civic engagement. One individual will be awarded a $1,000.00 (one-thousand dollars and zero cents) scholarship to support their full-time study at an accredited institution.

Also-Known-As seeks candidates who have used their adoption story and formative youth experiences to lead, serve, and pursue a life of purpose and significance, both individually and for their communities. An all-adoptee scholarship committee will be responsible for selecting the scholarship recipient.

International adoptees are invited to apply if they are U.S. citizens; age 25 or under; and plan to enroll full-time in 2023 at an accredited college, university or vocational-technical school in the United States. Financial need will be considered. This merit scholarship will be awarded in June 2023.

Annual Amount

$1,000

Additional Selection Criteria

Eligibility
Applicants of the Also-Known-As Adoptee Excellence Scholarship must:

• be a U.S. citizen and an international adoptee—a U.S. citizen who was born outside of the United States and adopted from another country
• be a current undergraduate student age 25 or under, or a high school senior who is graduating in the spring or summer of 2023
• plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study at an accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school for the entire upcoming academic year

Application Process

Application Instructions
Please complete the four following documents and email them in a SINGLE email to scholarship@alsoknownas.org. The subject line should be: “Scholarship Application 2023: Your Full Name.”

Your application will not be considered unless all required documents are submitted in the same email (with exceptions for your letter of recommendation and official transcript, if applicable). Files must be uploaded in either a Word document or PDF file as specified below (no Google Document links or other file-hosting websites).

Application instructions and essay questions are available in this PDF file: https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/62f171386b81d0373190986a/63e3f1139165a34e8a0cfd4b_2023%20Also-Known-As%20Adoptee%20Excellence%20Scholarship%20Application.pdf

Required Documents:

1. Application Form (page 4, Word .doc or PDF file)
2. Essay Responses (page 5, Word .doc or PDF file)
   Be authentic, honest, reflective, and clear when writing your essay question responses. Each essay should be 350 words or less.
3. Official Academic Transcript (PDF file)
   Include a digital or scanned OFFICIAL transcript from the high school and/or most recent college/university attended.
4. Letter of Recommendation (PDF file)
   Include a 1-page letter of recommendation from a non-family member who can speak about your character, qualities as a person, and why you deserve the Adoptee Excellence Scholarship and recognition from the international adoptee community. If needed, the letter can be sent separately; the subject line should follow: “Applicant Full Name, LoR.”
   ‍
   It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure their recommendation letter is submitted on time. Only one letter of recommendation will be considered, and it should include the following:
   ● Recommender’s full name, mailing address, telephone number, email address
   ● Recommender’s occupation, name of employer, employer address
   ● How do you know the applicant? How long have you known each other?

If you have any additional questions, please review the FAQ or email the scholarship committee at scholarship@alsoknownas.org

Deadline

April 28, 2023

For the application or more information go to:
https://www.alsoknownas.org/scholarship