‘Speak from your heart!’ It's time to apply for the Black Academic Scholarship Fund
"It allowed me to focus," says BASF winner Teeanna Munro (left, with Rhea Beale).
Teeanna Munro doesn’t know what she would have done without the Black Academic Scholarship Fund (BASF).
“I really relied on that money — I counted on it,” says Munro, who was studying English literature and women’s studies at Concordia when she won the BASF 2015 Jackie Robinson Graduate Scholarship of $2,000 to help her pursue a master’s degree in education.
“The fund allowed me to be less stressed about finances so I could focus. That helped me be the best I could be.”
The BASF is a non-profit organization that has been active in the Montreal community since 1991. Its main goal is to enhance the economic status of the community and provide more educational opportunities for visible minority youth.
Meet a few of the many BASF recipients from Concordia
“Of the 200-plus scholarships we’ve granted, at least 40 per cent have been awarded to Concordia students,” says Kathleen Suite, BComm 95, treasurer and scholarship coordinator of the BASF.
There are four scholarship categories — the Jackie Robinson Entrance Scholarship, the Jackie Robinson Undergraduate Scholarship, the Jackie Robinson Graduate Scholarship and the Jackie Robinson Health Sciences or Nursing Scholarship — with one winner per category per year. The awards range from $1,000 to $2,000.
“It’s really important to volunteer and be active in the community,” says Rhea Beale, 2014 BASF Jackie Robinson Undergraduate Scholarship winner, who is completing her second bachelor’s degree at Concordia in exercise science. Beale volunteers at the Jewish General Hospital and works with Sun Youth.
Fellow BASF Undergraduate Scholarship winner, Ukpong Etang, a marketing student at Concordia’s John Molson School of Business, feels privileged to have access to higher education.
He was thrilled to be awarded a scholarship, twice — in 2008 and 2013.
“The money helped with tuition, and there’s also books,” says Etang. “People forget about books! Everything else goes to food.”
He has been on the executive of the Concordia Caribbean Student Union for two years, first as vice-president of administration, then vice-president of finance.
Etang has a valuable piece of advice for future applicants: “Be authentic. Don’t do community service just to put it on your resume.”
He is also a steel pan player who has volunteered for literacy programs and mentored younger children since his first year in high school. “You can’t fake it. Be real.”
5 tips for BASF applicants
This year’s deadline is June 16, 2016.
Want to put your best foot forward? Kathleen Suite has this advice for applicants:
- It may sound obvious, but make sure to read the application guidelines carefully, follow the instructions and provide the documentation requested.
- Ensure that you obtain an official transcript, which bears the academic institution’s stamp. Photocopies or online transcripts are not accepted.
- Reference letters must be sent by the referees, and should be on letterhead and signed. Emailed references (signed and on letterhead) will be accepted if sent in PDF format.
- Send your two best reference letters: one academic, and one from a community or extracurricular activity leader. The references should be recent — within the last six months. Extra references are not necessary.
- Don’t be discouraged from applying if you’re not an “A” student. Academic excellence is weighted at 40 per cent, community/volunteering at 30 per cent, extracurricular activities at 20 per cent and references at 10 per cent.
2015 winner Munro has one thing to add: “In your letter, speak from your heart!”
This year’s Black Academic Scholarship Fund (BASF) deadline is June 16, 2016. For more information, email: basf.montreal@gmail.com.
