2014 Joe Lieberman Connecticut Scholarship Fund Open for Student Applications through April 1

MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Scholarship America announced today that the Joe Lieberman Connecticut Scholarship Fund, to assist outstanding high school seniors from Connecticut who plan to continue their education in college or vocational school programs, is now open for its second year of student applications.

In 2013, five students each received a $1,500 scholarship award, renewable for up to three additional years or until a bachelor's degree is earned. For 2014, up to five more Connecticut high school students will be selected for this prestigious award.

"I am incredibly grateful to the people of Connecticut who gave me the extraordinary opportunities to serve in ways that I'd dreamed of since a college student myself," said Sen. Lieberman. "The Joe Lieberman Connecticut Scholarship Fund is my way of saying thank you and giving back to Connecticut."

To be eligible, students must be United States citizens or permanent legal residents, be high school seniors who reside in and receive their high school education in Connecticut , plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study at an accredited two-year or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school for the upcoming academic year, have a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale (or its equivalent), and demonstrate outstanding leadership potential and a record of community service. The scholarship was founded with remaining campaign funds and supplemented through fundraising efforts to assure the program will continue in perpetuity.

"On the most basic level, this scholarship represents decreasing financial burden. It will allow me to graduate with less debt, and to be freer to pursue the career I am truly passionate about," said Qiuyin Ren, a 2013 recipient from Ledyard High School at a press conference introducing the recipients in June. "However, it is about so much more than the money. I'm extremely grateful to Senator Lieberman and his generosity, and I plan on creating such a fund in my future in hopes of giving back what I am so lucky to have received. I am extremely grateful and honored for the scholarship that, to me, is the passing of the torch of philanthropy from one generation of dreamers to the next."

The scholarship will be administered by Scholarship Management Services, a division of Scholarship America, the nation's largest designer and manager of scholarship and tuition reimbursement programs for corporations, foundations, associations and individuals. Awards are granted without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, age, gender, disability or national origin, and scholarships will be awarded for full-time study at an accredited institution of the students' choice.

Because only the first 500 applications received will be opened and processed, Scholarship America encourages students to apply for the scholarship as soon as possible. Applications close on April 1, 2014. The application and additional information can be found at http://sms.scholarshipamerica.org/joe-lieberman-scholars.

About Scholarship America^®
Scholarship America mobilizes support for students getting into and graduating from college. Since 1958, Scholarship America has distributed more than $3.1 billion in scholarship assistance to more than 2 million students, funding both entry-level and multi-year scholarships and emergency financial grants. More information is available at scholarshipamerica.org.

SOURCE Scholarship America