The Friends of Micronesia Scholarship Program supports high achieving Micronesian students who are pursuing an undergraduate degree at the University of Guam and who intend to return to their home island/community. The Program recruits and selects young role models who possess high academic standards, are leaders in their community, are driven by the desire to make a better life and moreover want to initiate positive change in their communities.
The Program invests in students who have demonstrated a trajectory of resilience, a passion for their community and are driven to succeed. The Program seeks students who will graduate at the top of their high school class, are presidents of their student councils, are founders of clubs, are leaders on their sports teams and who are genuinely passionate about making a difference in their community.
The Program seeks both incoming freshmen and currently enrolled undergraduate students. The Program is less suited to help students who are only looking for money for college or students who are academically unprepared for college.
The Friends of Micronesia is a 501c 3 nonprofit organization of former Peace Corps Volunteers and training staff interested in supporting the welfare of the islands, its people, and carrying out a primary goal of Peace Corps — to help others understand the people and cultures of the Micronesian Islands. For over sixty years Peace Corps, in cooperation with host countries, has provided educational, medical and economic services to countries worldwide.
Eligibility Critera
- Award: 1 award of $6,000 for one year (distributed $3,000 per semester)
- Eligibility:
- Must be a full-time undergraduate student
- Students who will graduate at the top of their high school class, are presidents of their student councils, are founders of clubs, are leaders on their sports teams,
- Students who are genuinely passionate about returning to their homes with a desire to make a difference in their community,
- Not an employee or relative of UOG or FOM,
- Eligibility is determined by birth in the Micronesian geographic areas: the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Republic of Palau, Federated States of Micronesia (Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae) and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
- Must have graduated from an accredited high school or certification of home schooling resulting in a high school equivalency or a GED certificate (General Education Diploma).
- Writing skills as demonstrated by the application’s short answers and essay questions
- Short Answers (Five sentences maximum each question)
- What do you hope your legacy of impact on this world will be? How will you accomplish this?
- Describe a circumstance in your life where you experienced a challenge or hardship. How did you grow from the experience?
- How did you hear about the Friends of Micronesia Scholarship?
- What about our program made you want to apply?
- Essay required: (500 words maximum for each item)
- Reflect on yourself: Who are you? What do you want us to know about you?
- Pick a community that’s most important to you (family, group of people, village, school, church, clan, etc). How have you impacted this community?
- Two letters of recommendation:
- One from an academic source such as a teacher, professor or school counselor.
- The other from a member of the applicant’s community.
- Minimum GPA of 3.0, and must maintain 3.0 GPA for scholarship period
- Selection will be based on financial need and work history.
Application Form
Download the application form below and submit completed application, essays, and questions answers to info@uogendowment.org. Indicate “Friends of Micronesia Scholarship Application” in the subject line.