* Class of 2012 Herbert Hoover Uncommon Students
2013 Herbert Hoover Uncommon Student Award
The Herbert Hoover Uncommon Student Award is a $5,000 scholarship program for Iowa high school juniors. The program annually identifies and honors up to 15 Iowa high school juniors who propose and then accomplish a project of their own choosing and design. Grades, test scores, essays and financial need are not evaluated.
The next application deadline for the Herbert Hoover Uncommon Student Award is March 31, 2013. To apply, students must be juniors in an Iowa high school or home schooled program in the spring of 2013, with a high school graduation date of spring, 2014.
Read important links on the right before applying!
Application Note: Students chosen for the 2013 Uncommon Student Class are required to be at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library-Museum in West Branch, Iowa between 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 22 until 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 23. Students are required to give a presentation at the library-museum sometime between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 12, 2013. DO NOT APPLY IF YOU CANNOT BE IN WEST BRANCH ON THOSE DAYS.
Words of Wisdom
"To those of you high school juniors who are considering entering this competition, I say go for it. You will be exposed to new people, new students, new situations, and get to learn about a presidential library and museum. You will be challenged, you will probably become frustrated, and there is always the anxiety of who will earn the $5,000 scholarships. But in the end you will have seen a project through to completion and have the extreme pride of a job well done. Set your goals at the highest level–even dream, surround yourself with the most positive people, get as organized as possible, and have a great deal of fun as you work your way through this scholarship program."
E-mail from a 2009 USA Parent
"I wanted to let you know that Malea just found out that she is the Iowa high school honoree for the 2010 Prudential Community of Spirit Award. She will receive $1,000 and an all-expense paid trip to Washington, DC in May. One parent also gets to go, all expenses paid, so I am going, too.
Thank you so much for your guidance through the Hoover Uncommon Student project! It is such a great program for so many reasons. Having the program during the students' junior year and summer before the senior year is SO smart!
They have time to do it then (it would never get done the senior year; it's much too busy with college & scholarship applications) And they get to use it on their resumes, which helps them get other awards and scholarships. Most importantly, though, Malea really did discover the gift of volunteering."
Kelynn Schulte
Mother of Malea Schulte
2009 Hoover Uncommon Student
E-mail from a 2010 USA Parent
" The Herbert Hoover Uncommon Student Award competition is itself uncommon. The vast majority of awards and scholarships presented to high school students are backward-looking: they acknowledge students for things they've already accomplished. The Hoover award, on the other hand, is forward-looking. The program invites Iowa high school juniors to identify a problem, design a solution, and articulate their vision for positive change. The students who are chosen as "Uncommon Students" then work to transform their ideas into actions and tangible results. Several months later, the students are judged on how well they lived up to the promise of their own proposals. To be eligible, a student need not have earned high grades, excelled on any standardized tests or won any previous awards. This competition, grounded in the American dream, levels the playing field: any student with pluck, ingenuity, and drive can win. I highly recommend this program to any student with an exciting idea, a strong work ethic, and a belief that each and every one of us has the potential to positively impact the lives of others."
Linda Mullen Cronk
Mother of Sarah Cronk
2010 Hoover Uncommon Student