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The application program will be available again in January, 2024. Please return then to view the updated Eligibility and Awards for the 2024 academic year! If you are an applicant who would like to discover more scholarship opportunities you might qualify for, please continue to the Scholarship America Hub and sign up!

Rising Star Scholarship Program
Application status: Closed

The Rising Star Scholarship program was launched in 2009 thanks to a generous contribution from a local donor. The Rising Star Scholarship program is a partnership between Resident Services, Incorporated (RSI), the Resident Advisory Board and the Housing Authority of Baltimore City that provides need and merit based scholarships to students who have been accepted into accredited institutions of higher learning or trade schools.

The program is administered by Scholarship America®, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarships and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals. Eligibility for individual programs is determined at the sole discretion of the sponsor, and eligible applications are reviewed by Scholarship America’s evaluation team.

Applicants to the Rising Star Scholarship Program must:

  • Be current residents of the Housing Authority of Baltimore City (HABC).
  • Be high school seniors or high school graduates who plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study for the first time in the Fall of 2024.
    Students who have taken college courses or enrolled in Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) full-time are eligible to apply.
  • Attend an accredited two-year or four-year college, university, or vocational-technical school for the entire upcoming academic year.
    Certification programs must be a minimum of one semester/term in length, run on a standard academic semester calendar, and recipients must be enrolled at the time awards are disbursed in August.
  • Have a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale (or its equivalent).

Resident Services Inc. employees and their immediate family members (spouses, children, and grandchildren) are ineligible.

Awards

The authorized distribution for new awards will be $25,500.

Up to five (5) $5,000 Rising Star Scholarships will be granted. The sponsor will consider the response to a Personal Statement from each recipient when awarding one (1) additional $500 Kylla D. Williams Scholarship to one of the Rising Star Scholarship recipients.

Awards are one-time only. Past recipients may not reapply.

Awards are for undergraduate study only.

Selection of Recipients

Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of:

  • Academic record
  • Demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities
  • Work experience
  • A statement of educational and career goals and objectives
  • Unusual personal or family circumstances
  • An online recommendation

Financial need is not considered.

Scholarship America will select scholarship finalists based upon the criteria noted above. The sponsor will consider the response to a Personal Statement from each finalist when selecting recipients.

All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.

Notification

All applicants will be notified in May. Recipients will receive notification via United States Postal Service with instructions to accept the award and to verify school enrollment. Non-recipients will be emailed.

Payment of Scholarships

Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of Resident Services Inc. Payment is made August. Checks are mailed to the student’s home address and made payable to the school for the student’s account.

Financial Literacy Support

Award recipients will be given access for a year to WhichWay, a financial literacy tool with interactive financial education modules containing tools and tips that include the following topics:

  • Understanding Basics of Budgeting
  • Achieving Goals
  • Creating and Maintaining a Budget
  • Paying for College
  • Understanding Credit
  • Obtaining Credit
  • Applying for Financial Aid
  • Managing Credit Cards
  • Managing Student Loans While in School
  • Managing Debt
  • Repaying Student Loans

Participation in Scholarship America’s financial literacy tool, WhichWay, is offered to scholarship recipients. Recipients will be invited to register online to participate in financial education activities to help guide a student to financial stability and success.

As part of your application, you must upload the following:

  • A current, complete high school transcript of grades. Grade reports are not accepted. Transcripts must display student name, school name, grades and credit hours for each course and term in which each course was taken.

NOTE: If you are providing SAT or ACT test scores, and those scores are not listed on your high school transcript, you will need to upload a copy of your test score report(s) separately.

One online recommendation form must be submitted on your behalf no later than March 18, 2024 3:00 pm Eastern Time.

Your application is not complete unless all required materials are submitted electronically.

Resident Services Inc. has partnered with Scholarship America. Selecting the button below will redirect you to the Scholarship America Student Hub!

Please make sure to add studentsupport@scholarshipamerica.org as well as the program email address provided below in the footer as safe senders in your email contact list.