THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES GIVE BACK TO UTICA FUND SCHOLARSHIP CONTEST

FOR PROCTOR SENIORS

 

The Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties, Inc. is pleased to announce the “Give Back to Utica” essay contest for graduating seniors at Thomas R. Proctor High School. The winner will receive a one-time $1,000 college scholarship from The Foundation’s Give Back to Utica Fund.

 

The winning student must plan on enrolling in a two or four-year program at an accredited college or university.

To participate, students must submit an essay of 1,500 or fewer words answering the following questions:

• How did growing up in Utica benefit you?
• How did growing up in Utica influence the person you have become?
• How did growing up in Utica shape your worldview?
• What is your vision of what Utica can be and how can you “give back” to help make that happen?

Essay submissions must be submitted to Jami Racioppa in the Guidance Department at Proctor by 3 p.m. on Friday, April 30, 2010. Essays should be typewritten and accompanied by a separate page with the student’s name, home address, college or university he/she is planning to attend and his/her proposed major. The scholarship will be formally presented during Proctor’s awards ceremony on June 3, 2010.

 

Submissions will be judged by an independent, three-person panel.

 

The Give Back to Utica Fund was established in 2007 by Utica native Steve Oram. While he now resides and practices law in Maryland, Oram never lost his love for his home town. He started the fund for the purpose of supporting programs and initiatives that promote the greater Utica area as a vibrant place to live and work. “I am pleased to be able to establish an annual scholarship program for Utica’s graduating seniors with the Give Back to Utica Fund,” said Oram, “My years in Utica were the foundation upon which my personal character and career were built. I am delighted to be able to create a legacy in Utica through this Fund that will reward and inspire those young adults  for whom growing up in Utica has made a difference. ‘Born and raised in Utica’ is a banner that many successful people carry and this  essay contest will highlight tomorrow’s leaders who have been positively impacted by growing up in Utica, and give the community another reason to be proud of its young people.”