The Mensa Education and Research Foundation scholarship program awards scholarships each school year, based on an essay competition. We award at least one scholarship of $650 in our local area and qualified entries from our local area compete for amounts up to $1000 regionally and nationally.
Please follow all instructions on the entry form carefully to avoid being disqualified.
You don't have to be a member to apply for a Mensa Foundation scholarship.
Click on the following link and enter your zip code to download an application.
www.mensafoundation.org/scholarships
You can apply for the national/regional/local awards open to everyone and to a separate contest for a Mensa member award. You need to use two separate applications for the two contests.
Go to the Mensa Foundation scholarships web page with this link:
www.mensafoundation.org/scholarships
There are two links on the page to download application forms. Download both and follow the instructions on each to enter both contests. Although you are allowed to win only one prize, it's a good idea to enter both contests, as it gives you more chances of winning.
To receive a PDF of the entry form via email, send an email request to mensascholarships@gmail.com.
To receive a copy of the entry form in the mail, send a self-addressed, stamped #10 envelope to:
Mensa Foundation Scholarships
PO Box 6054
Round Rock TX 78683-6054
National Mensa promises us one local scholarship winner. This year, that honor goes to Christina Robbins, a Mom in Killeen who is working toward her college degree and is in classes with her daughter.
This year, Lonestar Mensa also had two winners at the National level. Sarah Kline will be studying Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M. When she entered our contest last winter, she had applied to the vet school but didn't know whether she would be admitted. Audra K. Roach is studying for a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction at UT. Audra has been teaching writing to children for 6 years and is aspiring to teach teachers how to teach writing. Audra won one of 8 scholarships of $1000, the highest amount awarded by the Mensa Foundation.
Upon reaching my 45th birthday, I decided I was in need of a change. My children thought that this was my mid-life crisis. When I told them of my desire to attend college they thought that I should instead be getting a fast car. My husband is retired from the military and we have traveled more than most military families. Because of the constant moving I have had a variety of jobs but never got the opportunity to further my education. I had always planned after high school to go to college to get my degree in Education. With all the moves and raising our children, my college was always put on the back burner. I knew that someday I would get the chance to go to college to get that much wanted degree.
When the opportunity finally came for me to attend college I knew I wanted it and would do whatever it took to get me there. With all of our children in college what did I have to lose? The change to go from a full time paycheck to full time college student was going to be a financial challenge. With much discussion, we finally figured how to make my dream come to life. After making the necessary financial arrangements, I nervously applied. I was so thrilled when I got my acceptance letter. I really wanted this degree more than anyone knew.
Some of my first classes were going to be refreshers, as I have forgotten so much; although the classes were a necessary path to my future goal. I expect the best of myself and I can be very hard on myself. Nearly completing my first semester I am thrilled that I have made this decision, and (about) the high grades that I am receiving. Attending college has made me more aware of myself and my goals. I am taking several classes with my youngest daughter. This has brought us even closer as study partners and to see who gets to show Dad the better grade. Competition is encouraging and contagious.
I know that I will teach children and I can't wait for the day. I want to be able to feel their excitement when something new is learned. I plan to teach early elementary, grades one through three. I plan to have my degree completed in only 3 years as opposed to the usual 4 years. I am continuing my education through the summers so I can finish as soon as possible. I plan to begin teaching shortly after graduation.
Being an older student has made me stand out in my classes. There are younger students on campus that come to me for advice and encouragement. This is exciting for me to have them look up to me. This is what I will find in my classroom with the children that I will teach. I will be an older first time teacher, but I think that gives me more of an advantage with the children. I have waited a long time for this and this is what I want. I am thankful to all that have helped me get started; it was certainly worth the wait.
In December 1993, my family adopted a female beagle named Lucky. She sparked not only my love for animals, but also my interest in their well-being. Ever since, I have aspired to become a veterinarian and open my own veterinary clinic.
At the beginning of the summer of 2000, I applied for a job at a veterinary clinic. I began working for Dr. Shawn Messonnier, DVM, a holistic, exotic, and small-animal veterinarian. I started as a volunteer, since I was only 15, and was offered a part-time position for the following summer. With Dr. Messonnier, I learned how to assist in surgery and appointments, run lab work, manage the front office, and work in the kennel. Also, he taught me about treating diseases and problems with a homeopathic approach (treating the animal as a whole - not just the current problem) and how to use holistic and complementary medicine together. After 4 years of experience at his clinic, I decided to work for a different veterinarian to experience work at another clinic. The summer after my freshman year of college, I worked full-time for Dr. Tiffany Shurtz, DVM. Through Dr. Shurtz and Dr. Scott Grant, DVM, the veterinarian I currently work for, I have seen the more traditional approach to veterinary medicine and have strengthened my technician abilities. After almost 8 years of technician experience, I fully understand how a vet clinic really works and the time and energy required to build a successful business.
This past fall, I applied for admission at Texas A&M's College of Veterinary Medicine, and I will find out mid-March if I have been accepted (she was accepted). I received an interview in December, and I feel confident that it went well. Having already attained my Bachelor's of Science degree in biomedical science in 3 years, I am currently enrolled in a non-thesis Master's in Veterinary Science degree program at Texas A&M University, with a concentration in physiology. If I am accepted to veterinary school, I will finish my masters this summer and begin veterinary school in the fall. If I am not accepted, I will finish my degree in the fall/spring.
While my primary goal is entering veterinary school and attaining my DVM, I also have thought past vet school graduation. Last summer, Dr. Grant offered me a partnership at his veterinary clinic when I graduate from veterinary school. He expressed interest in my taking over the surgical aspect of the clinic and incorporating my knowledge of alternative medicine into his practice. Also, I want to work not only with small animals, but also with exotics. I am eager to take electives in veterinary school that will allow me to confidently treat exotic animals. Another goal of mine is to work with the Houston SPCA as a veterinarian. My passion is helping animals, including ones that have no owner looking out for them. I hope to dedicate volunteer and on-call time each month to treating these animals and sending them on the road to a new life.
Since the age of 7, I have planned and prepared for a career as a veterinarian. I know that veterinary medicine is in my future. Who would have guessed that adding a dog to our family would have inspired my career choice?
When my former students knock at the classroom door and ask to share their PowerPoint about global warming, I smile and welcome them in. Since graduating from my multi-age 2nd/3rd grade class last year, their faces have gotten slimmer and more defined, and their legs a mile long, but their passion for social action remains the same. Having just seen An Inconvenient Truth, they are incensed. They've written a public service announcement, a PowerPoint presentation, and a flyer to help educate our school about global warming. They've also organized a student letter-writing campaign to lobby the President and local officials. I am so proud of these powerful young citizens, who in their writing and actions carry on our class theme, "The Power of One." As their teacher, this is what I hoped for my students - that they would learn not only to carefully and critically read their worlds, but also to write their worlds, using literacy as a powerful tool for making a difference.
Since earning my Master's degree in education, I have spent the past 6 years teaching in a public elementary school. I emerge from this amazing experience with a finely honed craft and a full heart. I've grown into the kind of teacher I dreamed that I would be - reaching each child, laughing, crying, and celebrating in a caring community of learners. We learned to work cooperatively. We celebrated our growth. We became readers and writers. We made a habit of thinking far beyond what was expected, inquiring into the unknown, and making discoveries about ourselves and the world that took our breath away.
It is in this spirit of inquiry that I return to graduate school to work toward my Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction. Drawing on 5 years of experience mentoring apprentice teachers, and my continuing field work in teacher preparation, I aim to create new teachers who will make a difference in the lives of children and communities. Specializing in "Language and Literacy," I will teach methods of writing instruction that consider writing as not merely a set of isolated skills, but instead a powerful tool for communication and change. In my doctoral studies, I also hope to examine approaches to teaching struggling readers and writers; work toward closing the achievement gap between students from different socioeconomic backgrounds; advocate for sound educational policies nationally and internationally; and explore how research on the human brain and learning can inform instructional practice. Most of all, I hope to be an active participant in an intellectual community that values literacy as a tool for creating a better world. This is the "Power of One" that my students continue to attest to in their action projects - the power to raise awareness, to find your voice, to write the world. This is my purpose.
As a teacher of young writers, and now a teacher of writing teachers, there are hundreds of ways I could write my future from here. I choose to enter a doctoral program, to let teaching and learning about writing, this beauty I love, be what I do for a lifetime. I kneel at the classroom door. Please help welcome me in.
if you have questions, send email mensascholarships@gmail.com.
If you are a member of Lonestar Mensa and would like to volunteer to help with next year, please email to the above address.
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