College Help from Nordstrom

It’s getting to be that time of the year again, when thoughts turn to worrying about paying for college.

The popular Scholarship Program is one of the larger opportunities out there for Greater Annapolis students. Last year, Taylor Collins from nearby South River High School was one of the 40 recipients of a $10,000 scholarship provided by the retailer that has an anchor store at Westfield Annapolis mall.

And this year, Nordstrom has doubled the number of scholarships it is offering to 80, Corporate Scholarship Program Manager Elle Greene said in an e-mail.

The scholarships are paid out in equal installments of $2,500 over four years to the college of the student’s choosing. Greene said the retailer does not reveal how many students apply for the scholarships.

"Overall, our hope is that any student who feels like they meet the criteria and is in need of this assistance will apply," she said.

Since starting the scholarship program in 1994 in San Diego County, CA, Nordstrom has expanded the program to all 28 states where it has a store, Greene said.

To be considered, students must:

• Be a high school junior.
• Maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.7 (on a 4.0 scale) throughout their high school career.
• Have participated in community/volunteer activities.
• Be planning to apply for financial assistance to attend college.
• Attend an accredited four-year college or university during each year the scholarship is awarded.
• Be eligible to attend a four-year college or university in the United States.
• Live and attend school in one of the participating geographic areas, which includes Greater Annapolis, designated by Nordstrom.
• Not have a conviction for any crime.

A regional selection committee-made up of local community leaders-will interview local finalists in person. Once the recipients are selected, the Nordstrom team will make a surprise visit to each student's school where, with friends and family in attendance, the student will be notified they have won a scholarship.

To apply:
Contact Ellen Greene, Nordstrom corporate scholarship program coordinator, at 206-373-4550 or nordscholar@nordstrom.com.

There is additional application information available at www.Nordstrom.com/scholarhip, Greene said. Starting the first week of March students will be able to apply online, otherwise applications must be postmarked by May 15.

In addition, to students from Greater Annapolis, the scholarship program also is available to students from Alaska, Northern California, Los Angeles and Orange counties, San Diego and Imperial counties, Illinois, Georgia, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., all of Maryland, Virginia and Washington.

Greene offered a little advice for applicants.

"Don’t wait until the day before the deadline to apply…the earlier the better," she said in an e-mail. "Also, make sure to proof your entire application for punctuation, grammar and spelling."