The UConn Co-op Legacy Fellowship Program is offering $5,000 scholarships to students. (File Photo/The Daily Campus)
Undergraduate students of all semesters still have time to apply for a $5,000 scholarship offered by the UConn Co-op Legacy Fellowship Program. The scholarship will fund a summer project, according to Melissa Berkey, the grants program coordinator in the Office of Undergraduate Research. The deadline for the scholarship is Nov. 6.
The application must be submitted online with a letter of recommendation, according to the Co-op Legacy Fellowship Program website.
The summer project is an opportunity to pursue summer research project or creative endeavors that express the core values of the UConn Co-op, according to their website. .
After being taken over by Barnes and Noble two years ago, the Co-op set aside funds to continue spreading their core values of public engagement, social impact, service and social innovation, Berkey said.
“We do want to continue the legacy of the Co-op in terms of their support of social impact projects,” Berkey said.
All students are encouraged to apply, though seniors may not be eligible, Berkey said. The students who receive the funding are encouraged to assist the next group of Co-op Legacy Fellows the following year, she said.
“In terms of eligibility… we want students to still be around the following year after they complete their summer project, because peer mentorship is built into this,” Berkey said.
The program welcomes diversity and sees the scholarship as an exciting opportunity for students to do something they’re passionate about, Berkey said.
“Social impact is not tied to any one area of focus or any one major. It really can come from all areas whether it be fine arts or engineering, business or agriculture,” Berkey said.
A few students were given funds last summer as a test group that went very well, Berkey said. This is the first year with a full application process and the accepted applicants will be the first group of students to officially receive funds, she said.
The applicants will be narrowed down by a faculty review committee and about 10 scholarships will be given out this year, Berkey said.
“The faculty review committee will assess the merits of every application… (and determine) which ones are the best fit for the program and which ones are ready to move forward in further developing their ideas,” Berkey said.
The projects do not need to be directly tied to the applicant’s major, Berkey said. Many students are involved in service projects, community outreach, alternative breaks and service learning courses. The project can take the form of a research project, can be a prototype, art project or film project as long as it ties into the core values of the program, she said.
“There are so many amazing things that students are doing and this is a way to continue some of that work,” Berkey said.
Nicholas Hampton is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at nicholas.hampton@uconn.edu.
