New Hampshire Beekeepers Association

George Hamilton Scholarship Award

“Our treasure lies in the beehive of our knowledge. We are

perpetually on the way thither, being by nature winged

insects and honey gatherers of the mind.”

–Friedrich Nietzsche

Purpose :

The George Hamilton Scholarship Award was established to financially assist

graduating high school seniors and post secondary students who are enrolled in a

United States based accredited educational institution to pursue a career in

agriculture, biology and/or apiculture related fields.

Time :

The NHBA Scholarship Committee will accept applications starting MARCH 1st.

with submission deadline of MAY 1st of the current calendar year. The NHBA

Scholarship committee will make an award announcement and present

scholarship awards at our Summer NHBA Workshop in June or July. (Date and

location to be determined).

Scholarship Award Amount :

2 awards of $1000.00 each or as approved by the NHBA Executive Committee

Candidate Eligibility to Apply:

Graduating High School Senior whose intent is to enroll or has enrolled in

agriculture, biology and / or apiculture fields of academic study.

or

Post-secondary students who are pursuing a degree in agriculture, biology and /

or apiculture fields of study.

The applicant is permitted to attend a higher education institute in the required

fields on a full or part-time basis.

Must be a member of a New Hampshire Bee Club or have a family member,

relative or friend who is an active member of a New Hampshire Bee Club and will

sponsor your scholarship application.

Application Scoring

Each application shall be read by a Scholarship Review Committee made up of

New Hampshire Beekeeping Association members. Each section of the

application will be scored based on eligibility, beekeeping experience, academic

achievements, volunteer / community service, essay review and other applicant

eligibility requirements.

Application Criteria Required

The following documents are required. Failure to provide a complete application

will result in the application being ineligible.

Copy of your high school diploma or GED or a letter from your high school

guidance consular verifying that you shall be graduating, to include date of

graduation.

Proof of membership in a New Hampshire Bee Club or written sponsorship from a

family member, relative or friend who is an active member of a New Hampshire

Bee Club and elects to sponsor your scholarship application. Please include the

name of the sponsor’s bee club in the sponsorship letter.

Candidates must provide letters of recommendation from at least two

experienced beekeepers, preferably a mentor and another beekeeper familiar

with the applicant’s beekeeping experience and qualifications.

A resume, outlining your academic activities, awards, achievements, previous

work that may have been performed in agriculture, biology and / or apiculture

related fields. Resume should also include your contribution to any volunteer or

community involvement programs. Resume will be limited to two-pages. Please

include your name, postal address, email address and phone number on your

resume.

Applicants must write an essay of no less than two, and no more than three,

double-spaced typewritten pages describing your reasons why you should be

awarded the NHBA scholarship and how your educational studies and long /

short term career goals will benefit both beekeepers and honeybees.

How the Scholarship Funds are Awarded

Scholarship funds shall be awarded as follows:

50% in July of the calendar year the scholarship is awarded

Remaining 50% will be March 31, of the next calendar year based on the

following criteria:

1. The scholarship recipient is currently enrolled in college and is pursuing an

academic degree in agriculture, biology and / or apiculture fields of study and

has maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0

2. The scholarship recipient will provide a current college transcript to the

NHBA Scholarship Committee no later than March 1.

Failure to meet the eligibility requirements or submission deadline shall result in

loss of the second scholarship payment.

How to Submit Your Application :

Applications postmarked or electronically received after May 1 will not be

eligible for review.

You can submit your application by

Email to

scholarship.NHBA@gmail.com

Or by

USPS Mail to

NHBA Scholarship Application

c/o Joe Mercieri

595 Kimball Hill Road

Whitefield, NH 03598

Application Packet Check Sheet

Copy of your high school diploma or GED or a letter from your high school

guidance consular verifying that you shall be graduating, to include date of

graduation.

Proof of membership in a New Hampshire Bee Club or written sponsorship

from a family member, relative or friend whom are an active member of a New

Hampshire Bee Club and elects to sponsor your scholarship application.

Please include the name of the sponsor’s bee club.

Candidates must provide letters of recommendation from at least two

experienced beekeepers, preferably a mentor and another beekeeping

individual familiar with the candidate’s experience and qualifications.

A resume, outlining your academic and volunteer / civic activities, awards,

achievements, any work that may have been performed in agriculture, biology

and / or apiculture related fields to include beekeeping experience. Resume

will be limited to two-pages. Please include your name, postal address, email

address and phone number on your resume.

Candidates must write an essay of no less than two, and no more than three,

double-spaced typewritten pages describing their reasons they feel they

should be awarded the scholarship and how their field of study will benefit

beekeepers and honeybees. The essay should also outline the candidate’s

career ambitions with respect to beekeeping, including both short and long-

term goals.

Applications must be postmarked no later that May 1 of the calendar year.

Applications that are post marked after May 1 will not be considered and are

deemed ineligible.

Electronic submission must be sent prior to the May 1 deadline. Submissions

received after May 1 will not be considered and are deemed ineligible.

Incomplete applications will not be considered and are deemed ineligible.

Double check your application to ensure it is complete.

New Hampshire Beekeepers Association

George Hamilton Scholarship Application

Form

Please complete each Section of the Application. You may attach documents to

this form for submittal. The completed for must be legible. Typed applications

are preferred. Upon completion, please scan your application package in a PDF

format and send by email to the email address provided. You may also elect to

place the completed application in an envelope and mail to the postal address

found in the Submittal section of the Information page. NHBA and it’s members

are not responsible for the failure of any electronic media, email systems,

internet providers and / or the US Postal Service ability to deliver your

application to the addresses provided prior to the application deadline.

Date _________________

Section A: Applicant Information

1. Name _______________________________________________________________

2. Address _____________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

3. Phone # _____________________________________________________________

4. Email ________________________________________________________________

5. Post -Secondary School to be attended ___________________________________

6. Intended Academic Major ______________________________________________

Section B: Documents

1. Copy of your high school diploma or GED or a letter from your high school

guidance consular verifying that you shall be graduating, to include date of

graduation.

2. Provide proof of membership in a New Hampshire Bee Club or submit a

written sponsorship from a family member, relative or friend who is an

active member of a New Hampshire Bee Club and has elected to sponsor

your scholarship application. Please include the name of the sponsor’s bee

club.

Section C: Resume

Resume (Please see the Applicant Checklist for items to be included in your

resume)

Section D: Essay

Essay (Please see the Applicant Checklist for items to be included in your

Essay)

Application Deadline

The application deadline is May 1 of the calendar year. Applications must

be postmarked no later that May 1 of the calendar year. Applications that

are post marked after May 1 will not be considered and are deemed

ineligible for consideration.

Electronic submittals will be accepted. Please check your email for

verification of delivery.

Non-Discrimination Clause

The NHBA Scholarship Award Committee does not discriminate on the

basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age,

national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation,

military status, or any other restricting classification in it’s selection of

scholars.

Scoring Rubric

Applicant Name: ________________________________

1. Section A: Applicant Information

Application received prior to deadline of May 1.

(5 points) _____

2. Section B: Documents

Copy high school diploma or GED or a letter from the high school guidance

consular verifying that the applicant will be graduating, to include date of

graduation.

(5 points) _____

Name of the post-secondary school where enrolled

( 0 points)

Provided proof of membership in a New Hampshire Bee Club or submitted a

written sponsorship from a family member, relative or friend who is an active

member of a New Hampshire Bee Club and has elected to sponsor your

scholarship application. Please include the name of the sponsor’s bee club.

(5 points) _____

Two Letters of Recommendation

Applicant’s beekeeping experience / qualifications

(10 points) ______

3. Section C: Resume

Resume

Academic Activities

(0-15 points) ______

Civic / Volunteer Activities

(0-15 points) ______

Achievements / Awards

(0-15 points) ______

4. Section D: Essay

Essay

Applicant stated reasons they feel they should be awarded

the scholarship and how their field of study will benefit beekeepers

and honeybees.

(0-15points) ______

Applicant outlined their career ambitions with respect to beekeeping,

including both short and long-term plans.

(0-15 points) ______

TOTAL SCORE (OUT OF 100 POINTS) ______

REVIEWER’S INITIALS

_________________

Advertising the Scholarship - Making it known

NHBA Website

NHBA Newsletter

NHBA Email to members

Ten beekeeping clubs in NH

scholarships.com -

The College Grant Database - New Hampshire

scholarship360.org

Scholarships&grants.us

NH Department of Education

NH Community College Network

NH grantwatch.com - agricultural grants

NH Farm Bureau

Northeast SARE’ (Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education)

UNH Extension Service

‍