Elijah Smith Scholarship

What you will need

• ✓ Completed Application Form
• ✓ Yukon High School transcript
• ✓ Proof of acceptance to post-secondary institution (Letter of Acceptance or Current Transcript)

About this award

You can receive a $750 scholarship. This is a grant, not a loan, so you do not have to pay it back. This is for you if you are a recent graduate from a Yukon high school, especially those of Yukon First Nation ancestry or those entering studies in First Nations Studies, Education, or Leadership. You must submit your application by August 31. No notification timeline is posted publicly — when you apply, ask the Yukon Association of Education Professionals (YAEP) how and when you will hear back. A Scholarship Selection Committee chooses the winners based on a weighted score of your Grade 12 average and your extra-curricular activities. Because you can only win one YAEP (Yukon Association of Education Professionals) scholarship per year, the committee screens you for the Doris Stenbraten Scholarship first, then the Mary Gartside Scholarship, then the Elijah Smith Scholarship, and finally the YAEP 50 Anniversary Scholarships. The money is sent directly to the registrar of the institution where you are studying. Confirm with the Yukon Association of Education Professionals (YAEP) if this will be applied to your tuition or handled as a refund to you. Renewal conditions aren't listed — if you're counting on this for multiple years, confirm with the Yukon Association of Education Professionals (YAEP) whether it's one-time or renewable and what you need to maintain.

Who qualifies

To qualify, you must have graduated from a Yukon high school within the last 5 years and already be accepted into a formal post-secondary program that leads to a degree, diploma, or trades ticket. Priority is given to applicants of Yukon First Nation ancestry. Among those applicants, priority is further given to those in a First Nations Studies program, followed by an Education program, and then a Leadership Program. If no applicants meet these specific identities, the award is open to other qualified applicants.

This is what the award's official page said when we last checked. Rules change, so confirm on the award's official page before you apply.

• ✓ Open to high school students
• ✓ Resident of Yukon

How to apply

1. 1

   Read the award's official page

   Check you meet every requirement, and note each document they ask for.

2. 2

   Order your transcript1–2 weeks

   Your school's registrar can take a week or two.

3. 3

   Submit your application

   Save a copy, and submit at least a day before the deadline shown above.

Tips for applying

• Extra-CurricularsAvoid listing activities without a contact person. Instead, provide the name and contact information for the leader, coach, or mentor of every program you joined. This ensures your activity is actually counted in the scoring.
• ReferencesAvoid providing vague descriptions of your roles. Instead, clearly define the duration of your participation, as full-season or full-year activities earn more points than one-off events.
• StrategyAvoid applying for each award separately. Instead, fill out one application, as you only need to apply once to be considered for all YAEP (Yukon Association of Education Professionals) scholarships you are eligible for.
• RealismAvoid relying solely on your GPA. Instead, remember that while your Grade 12 average is 50% of the score, your involvement in school and community activities makes up the other 50%.

Questions students ask

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