Thank you for your interest in applying for the 2025 Jaidon Joseph Smith Educational Scholarship Fund

Key Dates to Remember

• Tuesday, January 21, 2025: Applications Released.
• Friday, February 28, 2025: All FINAL applications due to be submitted, no extensions will be granted so plan to submit earlier.
• Friday, April 4, 2025: Interviews of the top applicants will be completed no later than this date. (Interviews will be scheduled between March 30 – April 3)
• Friday, April 18, 2025: Selection by the Committee will be announced to the recipient by no later than this date.
• Saturday, April 26, 2025: Awardee will be notified by no later than this date.

Embark Award Application Information (Juniors Only)

• The application for Juniors can be accessed online here.
• More information about the scholarship can be found here.

Scholarship Application Information & Worksheet Links (Seniors Only)

• The application for Seniors who plan to attend college in Fall 2025 can be accessed online here.
• The application for Seniors who plan to take a gap year then attend college in Fall 2026 can be accessed online here.
• More information about the scholarship can be found here.
• We recommend using this optional application worksheet to formulate your responses in before actually submitting the online form.

Note to students: Don’t forget to check your spelling and grammar for the justification section. Be specific in telling us how you grew through being involved in the GT/LD program citing examples.

Letters of Recommendation (Seniors Only)

Student must have a letter of recommendation, with approved eligibility, from at least one staff member who worked with them closely while in the GT/LD program (case manager, teacher, co-teacher, guidance counselor, MCPS staff and/or Paraeducator).

Each recommendation must be filled out by the staff member using this form and then uploaded to the application by the student when they submit their application.

Note to students: Please be sure to ask your staff members for their recommendations with enough time for them to get them completed so you can include them in your application.

Interviews (Seniors Only)

The top three applicants will be notified and scheduled for a 30-minute virtual interview with at least 3 members of the selection committee. This notification will come via email to the student and their parent.

Note to students: This will be a virtual interview where you should be prepared to answer questions about what you have submitted in the application. Please plan to be on time!