Scholarships
The Charles R. Drew Scholarship
One $1,000 award a year, given every May by the Rho Omicron Chapter and the Rho Omicron Foundation together, to a graduating high school senior from Iberia, St. Martin, or St. Mary parish.
The name
The award is named for Dr. Charles R. Drew, the surgeon whose work on blood storage and transfusion made blood banking possible, and an honorary member of Omega Psi Phi.
Eligibility
Who it's for, and how it's decided
There is one award a year, so it is genuinely competitive. Two things are required of everyone who applies. Four more are what the Chapter and the Foundation weigh up when they choose between the people who do.
Required
- You're graduating from a high school in Iberia, St. Martin, or St. Mary parish.
- You've been accepted to a university, and you can send us the acceptance letter.
What's weighed
- The level of academic achievement you've attained. Your grade point average carries the most weight of anything on this list.
- Your ACT score.
- Your leadership qualities.
- Your community service and engagement.
- A Louisiana state school is preferred. The Foundation would rather its money stayed in the state — so an in-state acceptance counts for something, though an out-of-state one doesn't rule you out.
- Letters of recommendation aren't required, but they're strongly encouraged, and a strong one does real work in a competitive year.
Applying
How to apply
The Foundation hands application forms to local high school guidance counselors in late winter and early spring, so the first place to ask is your own counselor's office. The award itself is made in May, so the closing date falls somewhere between the two — and we'd rather tell you the exact one than have you guess at it.
An electronic copy will be posted on this page too. It isn't up yet — so if your counselor hasn't got one, or you'd rather not wait, call or write and we'll tell you where the current form is and when it's due.
Funding
Where the money comes from
The award is made jointly by the Rho Omicron Chapter and the Rho Omicron Foundation, and it is given every year.
The Friendship Center helps pay for it. Renting the hall is part of what funds the scholarship, the mentoring, and the rest of the Foundation's work — which is why a booking matters more than it looks.
Alongside it
Career planning
A career action plan is a road map that takes you from choosing an occupation to becoming employed in it, and on to your longer-term goals.
The Foundation helps with the goal-setting that drives it — the three-to-five year picture, and the one-to-three year steps that get you there.
It's part of the mentoring program rather than a separate service, so it runs all year and isn't tied to the scholarship.
Still confirming
One thing we can't give you yet: the form itself. We're told the current version is on its way to us, and it'll be posted here when it lands — along with this year's exact closing date. Your guidance counselor may well have both before we do. If you'd rather hear it from us, call or write.