Community Leader Scholarship: What Is the Meaning of Service
Duddy, Goodwin & Pollard is proud to debut the firm’s 2024 Community Leader Scholarship. This scholarship asks today’s students to define service and leadership in relationship to in-need communities.
The firm requests that students interested in applying for the Community Leader Scholarship submit videos between 1 and 2 minutes to the firm for consideration. Students should take their time crafting these videos, pulling from their personal examples of leadership to better emphasize their definition of service.
The scholarship promises its winning student $2,500 in financial aid. Students have until October 15, 2024, to submit their application to Duddy, Goodwin & Pollard’s scholarship selection committee.
Who is Eligible?
Duddy, Goodwin & Pollard intends to open up its Community Leader Scholarship to undergraduate and graduate students who meet the following criteria.
Applicants must:
- Be in good academic standing
- Be able to provide proof of enrollment in an accredited United States college, university, or graduate school or any other documentation as needed
- Agree to the scholarship’s terms and conditions
- Submit all necessary application materials by the scholarship’s deadline
Students who do not meet these criteria will have their applications removed from the scholarship pool.
How Do I Apply?
To apply for the Community Leader Scholarship, students must complete a video between 30 and 60 seconds in length, edit that video, and post the video to YouTube as unlisted media. Students can then share their video URL link with Duddy, Goodwin & Pollard alongside other essential information through the form available on this page.
Students must submit all of these materials before the scholarship deadline closes. Applications submitted without all essential materials or submitted after the deadline do not qualify for consideration. The firm reserves the right to reach out to the applicants and request additional documentation such as a copy of the unofficial transcript, student ID, letter of acceptance, or any other material that proves the student’s enrollment or acceptance at an applicable college, university, or graduate school.
Scholarship Video Topic
Duddy, Goodwin & Pollard want students to create a 1 to 2-minute video answering the following question: what is the meaning of service?
The firm encourages students to answer this question by citing their own experiences with community service. Students should emphasize instances where they proved themselves to be leaders, encouraging groups to give back to a community in need.
Students can answer the following questions in their videos:
- What hardships did you face while in a leadership position?
- What lessons did you learn while in a leadership position?
- How did those hardships and lessons change you as a person?
- What does true leadership and service mean to you?
The firm encourages students to record their videos in well-lit areas while holding their recording device of choice as still as possible. Students can also use media editing tools, like Adobe Creative Cloud, to include images, effects, or clean cuts in their content. Students are required to mention their full name and the name of the scholarship at the end of their video and give credits if necessary. In the description of their videos, applicants are requested to include a list of any sources of information and the media editing tools that were used in crafting and creating their videos. To be eligible the video must contain only copyright-free content, be in English only, and must have a creative, catchy title that reflects your ideas.
That said, Duddy, Goodwin & Pollard intend to award this scholarship based on the quality of a video’s content and not a student’s demonstrable video editing skills. Students should take time and care crafting their PSAs before sitting down to record them.
Any usage of AI platforms or tools that automatically generate videos and the usage of fake actors is strictly prohibited and will lead to automatic disqualification.
Once finished, submit the video to your YouTube account, either as listed or unlisted, and add the video link to your application form. We do not accept videos that have been uploaded in the form of reels or shorts.
Application Deadline
The deadline to apply is October 15, 2024 . The scholarship selection committee with Duddy, Goodwin & Pollard will not consider scholarship videos submitted after this deadline.
Terms and Conditions
All applicants to this scholarship must meet the eligibility requirements as laid out on the scholarship application page, including:
- Applicant must be enrolled at a college, university, or graduate school
- Applicant must be at least 18 years old at the age of enrollment
- Applicant must have residency in the United States
- Applicant must be in good academic standing
- Applicant must submit some personal information, including name, contact information, and student ID number.
- Applicant must author an original video on the scholarship topic provided.
Anyone who meets the following conditions is NOT eligible to apply:
- Employees or children of employees of Duddy, Goodwin & Pollard
- Past recipients of the Community Leader Scholarship
- Applicants who are unable/unwilling to be interviewed by a representative of Duddy, Goodwin & Pollard if they were to be awarded a scholarship.
- Applicants who submit the same video for multiple scholarships or for multiple years in a row
Selection & Award Notification Process
Students must submit their applications with all essential materials before the scholarship’s closing deadline if they want the firm to consider their applications. Duddy, Goodwin & Pollard will not consider applications without all essential materials or that students submit late.
Age, race, religion, gender, national origin, familial status, or other protected classes will have no influence on the committee’s decision.
The firm reserves up to at least three months after the scholarship’s deadline passes to choose a winner from its applicant pool. During this time, neither the firm nor members of its scholarship selection committee can answer questions about the status of a student’s application. Please do not email or call the firm with questions about a student’s scholarship application.
Due to the quantity of applications the firm receives, the firm cannot provide individual notifications to non-winners. The firm will announce its choice of scholarship winner via press releases and blog posts in late 2024. The firm then intends to work with the winning student and their family to deliver the scholarship funds to the student’s university of choice.
Privacy Statement
Your personal information will not be given, sold, or distributed to third parties.
We reserve the right to use the winners’ names and photos in any announcement or communication related to the Community Leader Scholarship, on Duddy, Goodwin & Pollard’s website, in marketing materials, or in social media posts.
By submitting your application, you agree to our public use of your name and image.
Previous Winners
This is the first year that undergraduate and graduate students can apply for Duddy, Goodwin & Pollard’s Community Leader Scholarship. The firm looks forward to celebrating the accomplishments of future winners (maybe you!) here.