2023-2024 Student Leader Resources

The “Helping Hands Scholarship Fund” was created in honor of Irene Fisher, founding Director of the Bennion Center, and her legacy. Its purpose is to provide a “helping hand” to Bennion Center Student Leaders who are in need of financial support in order to fulfill their community engagement commitments.

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Please note that scholarships range from $50-$500 and limited funding is available. Please ask for what you need. Because our resources are limited and we aim to ensure support is given where it is most impactful, we ask that any student completing the application do so with integrity—authenticity to themselves and their experiences.

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Applicants are encouraged to take their time to provide honest responses to each of the questions below.  Also, please note that funding for project/program implementation will not be approved.

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In order to be considered, you must be a current Bennion Center student leader who will be enrolled full-time in the semester in which the scholarship is awarded.

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Helping Hands Scholarship

Every spring, the Bennion Center celebrates 10 student leaders as recipients of the Exceptional Community Engagement award. This award is intended to recognize students who take action in pursuit of long-term positive social change, inspire and engages others, demonstrates efforts to sustain their work through developing strategies for institutional and community commitment, and exhibits motivation and potential for effective long-term civic engagement.

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Please note that you will be asked to respond to the following reflection as part of your application as well as provide a reference who can speak to your experience:

How did you demonstrate exceptionalism within your program(s)? Please keep in mind the following criteria for your response: (1500 character limit)

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This award recognizes a student who:

• Takes action in pursuit of long-term positive social change
• Inspires and engages others
• Demonstrates efforts to sustain their work through developing strategies for institutional and community commitment
• Exhibits motivation and potential for effective long-term civic engagement

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The deadline for the Exceptional Community Engagement Award TBD.

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To review the application, nominate a student, or apply:

Exceptional Community Engagement Award

The Bennion Center seeks to recognize all graduating students who completed a full term as a Student Leader with honor cords at graduation. In order to receive your cords, please complete the information at the link above.

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Please note that in order to be eligible, students must have completed a full term as a Student Leader in their respective program area.

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Cords are provided at no cost to the student. Honor cord colors are purple (to honor justice and leadership) and green (to recognize our collective commitment to healthy and sustainability communities).

Graduation Honor Cords

Nationally, over 800,000 AmeriCorps members have helped meet the nation’s critical needs in public safety, education, human needs, and the environment since 1994. The Bennion Center offers an educational award in partnership with the national AmeriCorps program. Students may receive approximately $1,200 in exchange for 300 hours of community service documented within twelve months. The education award may be used to repay certain student loans, pay existing tuition cost, pay for expenses for continuing education after graduation, or saved for up to seven years! If you are interested in joining the AmeriCorps program through the Bennion Center, contact Asma Hassan, an AmeriCorps Campus Coordinator, via email or phone (801-585-9101) to start the conversation about what service you are doing and how it might work with an AmeriCorps term.

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AMERICORPS Education Award

The purpose of the Alumni Bennion Scholarship for Equitable Access is to promote equitable access to community engagement opportunities and leadership experiences. Students are eligible for a scholarship once per semester to support costs associated with basic needs (including tuition, textbooks, commuting, housing, food, etc.).

The deadline for application is 1/8/2024

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Active Bennion Center student leaders are encouraged to apply – Applicants must be student leaders at the Bennion Center for at least one (1) semester prior to applying for the Alumni Bennion Scholarship for Equitable Access. The applicant must be enrolled full-time for the Spring ’24 semester (graduate or undergraduate).

Bennion Center Student Leaders include:

• Alternative Breaks site leaders & EBoard members
• Communication Team members
• Community Engagement Cohorts leaders (Events, Service Corner, First Year Experience)
• Community Partnership Programs leaders (Issue Area Coordinators, Partnership Liaisons)
• Curricular Programs students (Bennion Scholars, declared CEL Certificate students)
• Residential Engagement Leaders (RAs, Service House residents)
• Utah Reads Site Coordinators and Tutors

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Applicants must be eligible to receive a scholarship from the University of Utah.

This scholarship is administered by the Bennion Center’s scholarship committee. The Committee is composed of Bennion Center staff, Bennion Center advisory board/committee members, and an Alumni Relations representative.

This scholarship is intended to:

• Prioritize students with financial need
• Support community engagement efforts and retention of student leaders at the Bennion Center
• Focus scholarships on Juniors/Seniors to increase graduation rates
• Become familiar with the Forever Utah Network (Alumni Relations)
• Identify measurable outcomes and capture personal stories of scholarship recipients

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By submitting an application, you allow the Bennion Center to verify your eligibility with the University of Utah Registrar records, and Scholarships and Financial Aid Office.

The University of Utah determines demonstrated financial need by the FAFSA during the time of initial application. Students not eligible to complete the FAFSA should contact Ashley Stevenson at ashley.stevenson@utah.edu for the next steps.

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Alumni Bennion Scholarship for Equitable Access

You are required to complete the following:

• Student Leader Orientation (makeup) Module & Quiz
• Mandatory Reporting training

Please contact your staff partner if you don't have access to the Canvas page mentioned above. 

This is required for all students and staff members to declare your eligibility as a driver or to declare yourself a "non-driver" 

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You must complete this driver certification training every year.

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Driver TRAINING

RISK/LIABILIty & Photo Release (18 & OLDER)