ORLANDO, Fla. –Dec. 11, 2007 – Florida high school seniors: Are you filling out college applications and poring over potential scholarship programs? Then make plans to enter the Florida Association of Realtors®’ (FAR) 2007-2008 Scholarship/Essay Contest for High School Seniors for a chance to win up to $10,000 in scholarship funding.
Entering the contest is easy. Students write a typed, double-spaced essay – 500 words or less – on the topic, “How Does a Realtor Professional Benefit the Community?” This topic allows students the freedom to write about the wide range of Realtor professionals who work in a variety of fields, including residential brokerage, commercial brokerage, industrial and office brokerage, farm and land brokerage, real estate appraising, property management, land development and real estate counseling, to name just a few of the general specialties. Or essays may address such points as the benefits of homeownership to society, or to families on a personal level, or how the selling of commercial real estate encourages economic growth.
“This scholarship program offers Florida Realtors the opportunity to demonstrate their dedication to their community by helping young people continue their education and realize their dreams for the future,” says 2008 FAR President Charles “Chuck” Bonfiglio. “There’s a side to the real estate profession that often goes unheralded – Realtors do a lot more for the community than people may realize. Now in its eighth year, our successful scholarship program is just one example.”
Now in its eighth year, FAR’s scholarship program benefits students from across the state, with prize money going to the first-, second- and third-place essays in each of the Association’s 13 districts. Students turning in the top district-winning essays will each win a $5,000 scholarship prize while the second-place entries will each receive a $1,500 scholarship award. Plus, students will be recognized for winning third in each district with a $500 scholarship award. The 13 district-winning essays will go on to compete to win three $5,000 FAR scholarships on the statewide level, for a total of $106,000 in scholarship awards. All essays, along with an official Essay Cover Form, must be postmarked before or on March 7, 2008, and mailed to the Florida Association of Realtors, 7025 Augusta National Drive, P.O. Box 725025, Orlando, FL, 32872-5025.
Check with the high school guidance office to obtain an application kit and essay cover form for FAR’s 2007-2008 Scholarship/Essay Contest for High School Seniors. Or go to the media section of FAR’s Media Center Web site, (http://media.floridarealtors.org) to download the scholarship/essay contest application kit, official cover form and list of FAR District Vice Presidents.
FAR’s statewide scholarship awards program is open only to high school seniors who reside in the state of Florida and plan on continuing their education at a college, university, technical school or other institution of higher learning. Children whose parents are licensed real estate practitioners are not eligible for contest entry; nor are children with parents employed by any local Realtor board/association or by the Florida Association of Realtors.
Just think: Write 500 words or less and win up to $10,000 – scholarship money that could cover the costs of tuition at a local community college or pay for a lot of the tuition costs at a Florida state university. Now that’s a scholarship that will go FAR.
© 2007 FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS
