Samantha Jennings-Jones Memorial Scholarship

Scholarship Sponsored by Center for Cyber Safety and Education

Introduction
This scholarship was created by Sam’s family, friends, and colleagues to honor her work and to encourage women who are beginning or advancing careers in cybersecurity. Its purpose is to help recipients continue Sam’s mission by supporting their education in information security and related fields.

Scholarship Award (one recipient)
- Award amount: $5,000 to be used for tuition, fees, books, and required course materials (including required electronics).
- Acceptance deadline: Awards must be accepted within three (3) weeks of the notification date. If the recipient does not accept within that window, the scholarship will be offered to another applicant.
- Disbursement timing: Funds will be sent to the recipient’s educational institution and must be disbursed to the school by Dec. 31 of the award year. Awards cannot be carried over into the next year.
- Payment method: Scholarship monies are paid directly to the college or university; recipients will not receive the funds personally.
- Renewal: This is a one-time award. Recipients must reapply in subsequent years if they wish to be considered again.

Eligibility
- Gender: Applicants must identify as female.
- Field of study: Must be pursuing, or planning to pursue in the fall, a degree focused on cybersecurity, information assurance, or a closely related discipline.
- Academic level: Eligible applicants include high school seniors, undergraduate students (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior), and graduate students. Ph.D. candidates are not eligible.
- Academic standing: Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent on a comparable scale).
- Citizenship/residency: Must be a U.S. citizen or a U.S. permanent resident.
- Institution: Must be enrolled in, or planning to attend, an accredited college or university located in the United States.
- Enrollment format: On-campus or online students are both eligible.
- Enrollment status: Full-time and part-time students may apply.
- Use of funds: If awarded, the school will be instructed to apply the scholarship toward tuition, fees, books, and required electronics/materials.

Required Application Materials
- Unofficial transcripts from your current or most recent educational institution.
- One letter of recommendation that addresses:
- How long and in what capacity the recommender has known you.
- The skills or abilities the recommender believes will enable you to complete your degree.
- Any additional information about you that should be considered.
Academic references are preferred; a professional reference that covers these points is acceptable.
- Resume or CV (maximum three pages).
- Responses to the essay prompts below, submitted within the application. Each response should be 250 words or fewer.

Essay Prompts (each answer: ≤ 250 words)
1. Describe your personal and educational background and list your significant accomplishments.
2. Explain how this scholarship would affect your path in cybersecurity. What would receiving it mean to you?
3. Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in cybersecurity? Why do you believe you will succeed in information security, and what are your professional goals?
4. After you complete your degree and enter the cybersecurity workforce, how would you “pay it forward” to support other women (students, recent graduates, or those changing careers) entering the field?
5. Detail any contributions you’ve made to the cybersecurity community (volunteer work, articles, etc.), plus relevant hobbies or extracurricular activities and their significance to you. (Do not include links to articles.)

Notes and Deadlines
- All materials should be submitted as directed in the application.
- If selected, remember to accept the award within three (3) weeks of notification so the scholarship can be processed and disbursed to your institution before Dec. 31 of the award year.