As so many seniors carry out the search for scholarships and financial aid, not many would have thought to look at the Veterans of Foreign Wars. This past Fall, Senior Georgia Brinegar applied for an essay contest through Veterans of Foreign Wars. Brinegar applied for the “Voice of Democracy” essay, and discussed political division in America and the effects that it has on the United States as a country. The guidelines are not incredibly specific, as they allow students to showcase their values and discuss issues that they care about. This year’s question was: “Is America today Our Forefathers’ Vision?” In response to this prompt, Brinegar ascribed an essay discussing political division, and was awarded the local victory. 

In this competition, there are levels of winners, where each winner gets a different amount in scholarship money. Brinegar won $250 toward her future education. In her words, for the competition, “you write an essay, do a voice recording going through your essay, go to your local VFW Post, and submit your essay.” In her experience, Brinegar also found that she was shown around her local VFW Post, where she got to learn about Veterans and what they have done.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars has two programs, one being the Voice of Democracy. Like Brinegar, the student applicant has to write an essay and perform it. The VFW gives monetary amounts for each level of competition. There are local competitions, state competitions, and even national competitions. If looking to apply next year, applications begin in the fall and the national prize is up to $60,000. Every year, the Veterans of Foreign Wars give out over $1 million in scholarships to support the youth of America. This year, one of Kilbourne’s own, Georgia Brinegar earned a small portion of this money. Congratulations Georgia, and go Wolves!

https://www.vfw.org/community/youth-and-education/youth-scholarships