SOCIETY OF WOMEN ENGINEERS

LOS ANGELES SECTION

SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION
Deadline: Friday, February 26, 2016
Each year the Los Angeles Section of the Society of Women Engineers administers scholarships which are funded by
donations from industry and individuals to support SWE student members in their study of engineering and to help
alleviate the financial burden.
In general, a successful applicant must demonstrate high academic ability and show a keen interest in their professional
development in the engineering field by participating in technical organizations, holding leadership positions, conducting
research projects, or pursuing engineering or non-engineering related work opportunities. The applicant is a problem
solver, a committed doer, and an effective communicator who should be an example to other students as a potential
leader, both technically and socially. Special consideration will be given to those with unique circumstances and financial
need, as well as those who are re-entering students. A re-entrant is defined as a student who has been out of the
engineering job market for at least two years.
Scholarships are available to both women and men. The applicant should currently be enrolled as a Sophomore, Junior, or
Senior (with good standing) in an engineering curriculum leading to a Bachelor's degree at Cal Poly Pomona, Caltech, Cal
State LA, Cal State Northridge, Harvey Mudd, Loyola Marymount, UCLA, or USC. Each of these schools has a
collegiate SWE section affiliated with the Los Angeles professional SWE section. Applicant must be a SWE student
member. Graduating Senior applicants will be required to provide evidence of graduate school admission for the fall. To
qualify for a scholarship, the student's cumulative units must average full time status.
The following scholarships are available:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)

SWE Endowment Scholarship (Restriction: The applicant must have a minimum of 3.0 GPA to be considered)
SWE-LA Scholarship (Restriction: This scholarship is open to female students only)
SWE-LA Volunteer Scholarship
Corporate Scholarship (Availability of this scholarship is not guarantee year to year)

Additionally, applicants need to meet the following criteria:

(1) Be in a position to apply the scholarship toward undergraduate or graduate engineering studies, at a school listed
above, in the fall term following acceptance of the award.
(2) Supply all the information, including official transcript(s), required for a complete application.
(3) Meet the application deadline.
If you meet all these qualifications, please complete the enclosed application according to the following instructions. The
timeline of the application process is as follows:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)

Completed applications must be submitted electronically by Friday, February 26, 2016.

Interviews will be conducted during the month of March.
Scholarship winner notification will be no later than April 1, 2016.
Scholarships will be awarded at the SWE-LA Professional Development Conference on Friday, April 22, 2016.
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INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPLICANTS

To be accepted for judging, an applicant must submit all required items electronically by Friday, February 26, 2016.
Applicant should submit application form, transcript(s), and essays. Each person serving as a reference needs to submit
his/her own letter directly to the email address below. Be sure to fill out the names of the references on the application so
the letters can be matched correctly. The applicant is responsible for seeing that all necessary information (completed
application form, transcript(s), applicant essays, and letters of reference) is submitted by the deadline. The applicant will
be disqualified from judging, with no further follow-up, if these instructions are not followed.
*Applicants having other scholarships and/or previous Society of Women Engineers scholarships are eligible to apply.
**Copies of recommendation letters submitted for other scholarships are acceptable, as long as they are up-to-date and
reflect the students current academic achievement and professional development.
APPLICATION FORMS: Official scholarship application forms are made available electronically no later than January
to the collegiate SWE sections at the schools affiliated with the SWE-LA Professional Section. If you are not associated
with a student section, application forms are available for download from the SWE-LA website (www.swela.org), or may
be requested directly from SWE-LA by sending an email to the Scholarship Chair (katrina.hiramoto@swe.org). Use of
copies or reproductions is permitted.
INSTRUCTIONS: Email all items by Friday, February 26, 2016 to the Scholarship Chair: katrina.hiramoto@swe.org.
THE FOLLOWING ITEMS MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY FOR ALL APPLICANTS:
1. COMPLETED APPLICATION FORM: Additional information may be attached to the application if there is not
enough room in the space provided. A resume is strongly recommended.
2. TRANSCRIPT: An official copy (pdf version) of the applicant's transcript must show grades for the entire
enrollment in current school. Additional transcript(s) required from prior college or university where courses were
taken towards current engineering degree.
3. APPLICANT ESSAYS: Three essays must be submitted. The length of each essay is limited to 500 words (12 pt.
font) and should describe the applicant's feelings on the following:
a. Why the applicant decided to study engineering and why he/she chose their particular major.
b. Why the applicant has applied for the SWE-LA scholarship.
c. What the applicant considers their most important achievement to date.
4. REFERENCE LETTER NO. 1: Letter of reference from an engineering professor or a faculty advisor detailing the
applicants academic performance. If possible, the letter should indicate the class standing of the applicant relative to
other students. Letter must be dated in the application year.
5. REFERENCE LETTER NO. 2: Letter of reference from another engineering professor, an employer (present or
former), or someone closely associated with any extra-curricular activities (such as a coach or faculty sponsor).
Applicant's employment need not be connected with engineering. Letter must be dated in the application year.
6. SWE REFERENCE LETTER (Optional, Recommended): Letter of reference from a Professional SWE member
in good standing detailing your contributions to SWE. Letter must be dated in the application year.

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SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION
DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 26, 2016
PLEASE TYPE RESPONSES
PERSONAL INFORMATION
NAME:
MALE

SWE INFORMATION
Please provide your SWE Student Member number

FEMALE

below.

DATE OF BIRTH:
CURRENT ADDRESS:

FINANCIAL INFORMATION (2014-15 School Yr)

EXPENSES ($ amount): $
Tuition: $
Books: $

HOME PHONE:

Room & Board: $

WORK PHONE:
PERMANENT ADDRESS:

Transportation*: $
Total Expenses: $
*Only include if you are a commuting student
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION ($ amount):

PERMANENT PHONE:

Parent/Spouse: $

E-MAIL:
WHO CONTRIBUTES TO YOUR EDUCATIONAL
EXPENSES?
PARENT / GUARDIAN / SPOUSE :

Scholarships/Grants: $
Self-Employment: $
Total Contributions: $

THEIR NAME:
Unmet Expenses (Total Expenses Total Contribution):

THEIR OCCUPATION:

$
EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION
Percentage ((Unmet Expenses/Total Expenses)*100):

COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY:
ADDRESS:

Are there any significant expenses not addressed above?

MAJOR:
DATE EXPECTED:
UNITS REQUIRED:
UNITS COMPLETED:
GPA:
ENROLLED IN:
4 YR PROGRAM
5 YR PROGRAM
OTHER:

PREVIOUS SCHOOL(S):

CURRENTLY IN:
2ND YR
3RD YR
4TH YR

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EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION
List employers, duties, dates. Attaching a resume is strongly recommended.
Employment 1:

Employment 2:

Employment 3:

COLLEGE ACTIVITES: ON/OFF CAMPUS

SCHOLASTIC HONORS (Names/Year)

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COLLEGE ACTIVITES: ON/OFF CAMPUS

SOCIETIES & ORGANIZATIONS (Names, offices held, activities, responsibilities, dates of membership especially
SWE involvement/volunteer activities)

HIGH SCHOOL ACTIVITIES (only fill out if currently a Sophomore)

SCHOLASTIC HONORS (Names/Year)
SOCIETIES & ORGANIZATIONS (Names, offices held, activities, responsibilities, dates of membership)
Only list honors and activities from your Junior and Senior year of high school

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OTHER RELEVANT OR UNIQUE INFORMATION

AWARDS (Names/Year) and/or SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES (Accident, family obligations, etc.)

FUTURE CAREER PLANS

Are you seeking an internship/co-op position or a full time position?
Are you seeking engineering employment in the Los Angeles area?
Many of the companies that donate money to the SWE-LA Scholarship Program are interested in hiring for summer
internships and full time positions. Please note that your resume may be forwarded to one of these companies for
potential employment opportunities in the Los Angeles area.

LIST OF REFERENCES
Reference #1
Reference #2
SWE Reference (optional)

I believe all of the above information to be true. I hereby apply for the Los Angeles Section Society of Women Engineers
Scholarship. It is my understanding that I will be notified by April 1, 2016 if I have been selected as the recipient of an
award. I intend to be enrolled as an engineering student through December 2015.

Signature of Applicant

Date Signed

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