The Mary Lea Simpson Memorial Scholarship

You'll typically need to create an account to apply for a scholarship, and submit your application through their website—this is called a scholarship application portal. Not all scholarship providers use portals—some will just require that the application materials be sent via email. Tip: it's a good idea to write down your usernames and passwords to keep track of all your applications!

A letter of recommendation (letter of rec) is a letter written by someone in your life who can speak to your achievements, positive traits, and potential. It's basically a summary of why you're great and deserve the scholarship or funding you're applying for! Typically, students ask teachers, mentors, coaches, or employers (never family or friends). FYI: You have to ask someone to write a letter of rec for you.

If you haven't heard back within a few weeks, reach out to the scholarship organization! Some scholarship organizations email all the applicants to let them know if they were selected or not, while others only contact the winners—it usually depends on the number of applicants. It never hurts to follow up.