Firstrust Bank announced today a call for written and video essays for the 39th Annual Samuel A. Green Scholarship Program. Each year Firstrust Bank awards $70,000 to local high school seniors for their creative response to the essay topic, “How my college education will help me to cultivate prosperity in my community.” In the spirit of Firstrust Founder Samuel A. Green, the scholarship program encourages students to pursue their education and fulfill their life dreams.
“Every year I am impressed with the level of creativity applied to each video and written essay,” said Richard J. Green, chief executive office of Firstrust Bank. “Last year we added the highly successful video essay category to contemporize our competition and we look forward to continuing this aspect of the contest again this year. Attracting applicants from more than 300 area schools, our essay competition is designed for students to make their voices heard in their community and to lessen the financial burden of paying for a four-year college education.”
Last year’s grand prize written essayist was Maria Kaufman, Philadelphia, who was moved by the daily escalation of violence in her hometown and drew on her aspiration to pursue a career in medicine that would ultimately help her local community. Claudia Leung, Voorhees, NJ, was awarded the first-ever top honor for her video essay about time spent in Katrina-devastated Louisiana, and the lack of social services for troubled children.
For this year’s contest, students must submit a hard copy of their written essay or a video script to Firstrust Bank to be considered. Submissions will be judged in one of two categories: written essay or video presentation. There will be two grand prize scholarships for $10,000 each; one for essay submission and the other for video submission. Additional scholarships will be awarded in the following tiers in each category: second place, $5,000; third place, $5,000; fourth place, 15 winners of $1,000 scholarships.
Applying for the Samuel A. Green Scholarship Program
Video Submission: Students may submit a short video between three and five minutes using a script no longer than 250 words. Students may choose to record a dramatic interpretation of their essay using a camera phone or video camera. To submit a video, upload files to www.FirstrustSAGscholarship.com.
Written Essay Submission: Students may submit a hard copy of their essay in 250 words or less at any Firstrust branch or may mail submissions to Firstrust SAG Scholarship Program, 15 East Ridge Pike, 4th Floor, Conshohocken, PA 19428.