Sweet Briar College and Girl Scouts announce scholarship for Gold Award achievers

Roanoke’s vice mayor Anita Price (from left), Sweet Briar’s vice president for communications and enrollment management Melissa Richards and Girl Scouts VSC CEO Nikki Williams


Sweet Briar College has announced a new scholarship in partnership with the Girl Scouts of the USA for girls who have completed the Gold Award. The announcement was made at the Virginia Skyline Council’s Gold Award Ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 16, in Roanoke.

“Sweet Briar College and the Girl Scouts share a commitment to supporting young women who are go-getters, innovators, risk-takers and leaders. With these values in common we have come together in a national partnership to establish a Girl Scouts Gold Award Scholarship at Sweet Briar College,” said Melissa Farmer Richards, vice president for communications and enrollment management at Sweet Briar College.

Two awards, each valued at $2,500, are available for eligible incoming first-year students who have achieved the Girl Scout Gold Award. One is designated for a student who is a member of a Girl Scout troop in Virginia, while the other is open to a Girl Scout troop member anywhere in the United States.

The scholarship is renewable for four years of study at Sweet Briar if a grade point average of 3.0 is maintained. Scholarship winners will be judged on the following criteria:

1. Acceptance to Sweet Briar College and a commitment to attend
   
2. Current (or recent) active membership in a Girl Scout troop and completion of the Girl Scout Gold Award (Please provide copy of the certificate or letter)
   
3. Letter of recommendation from the troop leader
   
4. Essay on how you have demonstrated a commitment to community service, leadership and/or sustainability
   

The scholarship is funded by several generous Sweet Briar alumnae who are former Girl Scouts and who care deeply about advancing women’s leadership.

“The Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline Council is honored that Sweet Briar College will announce this new scholarship initiative at our Gold Award Ceremony so that our girls will be among the first to know they are eligible,” said Nikki Williams, chief executive officer for Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline. “Sweet Briar’s new core curriculum focused on women’s leadership and the Girl Scout leadership experience have a compelling synergy.”

Gold Award winners can apply to Sweet Briar College at sbc.edu/admissions/apply-now. After submitting your application, you can submit the required Gold Award essay inside your Sweet Briar admissions portal.

For questions, contact Richards at mrichards@sbc.edu or 434-381-6326.

In September, Sweet Briar announced a reduced tuition of $21,000 for the 2018-2019 academic year, now competitive with public institutions. The goal is to make the cost of attending a private institution more transparent by eliminating the confusion over discount rates, a term that describes how institutions discount published rates. Sweet Briar’s 32 percent tuition reduction is part of a comprehensive “reset” in the College’s pursuit of academic excellence, relevance and affordability. Sweet Briar has been recognized nationwide for announcing plans to replace its general education curriculum with a core set of courses focused on women’s leadership.

For more information about joining Girl Scouts, visit girlscouts.org.