Simon Youth Foundation seeks applicants for $1 million in scholarships

For a fifteenth straight year, Simon Youth Foundation, a national nonprofit that provides educational opportunities for at-risk high school students, will award a college scholarship to one student from every community that is home to a Simon property, including The Shops at Riverside.

Simon Youth Foundation Community Scholarships are awarded through the Simon Youth Scholarships program and in partnership with local Simon properties. The application period is currently open and ends on February 25, 2015.

Students can apply online by visiting www.syf.org.

Any student who will be graduating in the class of 2015 and lives within 50 miles of a Simon property is eligible. The program will award a one-time scholarship of up to $1,500 to students who plan to enroll in an accredited college, university, vocational or technical school.

In 2014, the Simon Youth Scholarships program awarded $1.1 million to 243 students nationwide.

“Our mission is to ignite hope for a brighter future in students, and our Foundation is proud to partner with The Shops at Riverside to award scholarships that will remove some of the financial obstacles that would otherwise prevent a student from achieving the dream of a college education,” says J. Michael Durnil, Ph.D., the President and CEO of SYF.

The 2015 SYF Community Scholarship recipients will be selected by International Scholarship and Tuition Services, Inc. (ISTS), a third-party administrator. Students are selected based on a variety of criteria, including financial need, academic performance, leadership skills and participation in school and community activities. Those students who are the first in their family to pursue a post-secondary education will also be given close consideration.

Recipients will be notified the week of May 4, 2015.