Giannoulias to award 10 agriculture scholarships
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Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias wants Illinois high school seniors who plan to study agriculture-related majors in college to apply for his office's Excellence in Agriculture Scholarships.
Treasurer Giannoulias will award ten $2,000 scholarships to students who plan on attending an Illinois-based college or university in the fall. Applications must be postmarked on or before May 14, 2010.
High school seniors who are Illinois residents can apply for these scholarships. Eligible students must have a minimum 2.75 grade point average during the 2009-2010 school year, be accepted at an accredited higher education institution in Illinois by the application deadline, and plan to pursue a career in agriculture or an agriculture-related field.
Students must also submit a completed application, which is available either on the Treasurer's website, www.treasurer.il.gov. or by calling 217-557-6436.
The following information must be included with the application:
A statement of goals and future plans
A typed essay (minimum 250 words) identifying the reason(s) you want to pursue a career in agriculture or an agriculture-related field
An official high school transcript
  Two letters of reference, including one from a non-school source
A list of extracurricular activities
A scholarship committee will select the winners. The Treasurer's Office will notify the winners by May 28, 2010.
To date, the Treasurer's Office has awarded $125,000 in scholarships to rural and urban students seeking degrees in a broad array of agriculture-related fields, from crop and livestock production to agri-business, engineering, communications, economic and animal science.
These scholarships are funded through the Bright Start College Savings Program, which is run by the Treasurer's Office. Bright Start is Illinois' 529 college savings plan and is an easy, tax-free way to invest for college.