Students grab big checks when Simon Youth Foundation awards $1.1 million in scholarships

Simon Youth Foundation, through its Simon Youth Scholarships program, has announced $1.1 million in awards to 266 nationwide high school graduates who are set to begin college in the coming weeks.

SYF President and CEO J. Michael Durnil, Ph.D.,
with an Indianapolis scholarship winner

“Education ignites hope in students that their future can be bright,” says J. Michael Durnil, Ph.D., SYF President and CEO. “Our donors and supporters have funded these awards to remove financial obstacles that often prevent students from enrolling at the post-secondary institutions of their choice, helping ensure deserving young people can continue their education.”

Since the scholarship program was created in 2000, SYF has awarded scholarships valued at $8.6 million to 3,353 deserving young people. Simon Youth Scholarships recipients receive either one-time or renewable awards that range in value from $1,400 to $28,000. Highly competitive, scholarships were only granted to one out of every five applicants in 2012 and awarded based on criteria that include financial need, academic performance and an applicant family’s education history. 

Called Simon Youth Community Scholarships, 193 of this year’s awards were granted in coordination with Simon Property Group malls, outlets and centers. Annually, SYF grants a scholarship to at least one student in any community that is home to a Simon property in partnership with the properties’ management teams and employees.

The other 2012 scholarship winners received Simon Youth Academy Scholarships and are graduates of country's 23 Simon Youth Academies, a national network of non-traditional high schools for at-risk youth that is supported by SYF and its local school district partners.

“Students from all walks of life have the potential to achieve their dreams and positively impact our world,” says SYF Board of Directors chair person Deborah J. Simon. “It is our mission to enable these dreams by giving the students access to quality education.”

The slideshow above includes photos from the scholarship presentation ceremony at the Circle Centre Mall in Indianapolis, Ind., and from celebratory events at other nationwide Simon properties in 2012.