Nominate a Student
You know the type of students we are looking for: they are full of hope, grit, passion, and perseverance. Many are first-generation students or are from a group that isn’t typically represented on a college campus. But they’re the students you remember—the hard workers with big hearts who set off to college to make a difference for themselves, their families, and their communities.
This is exactly the kind of life-changing opportunity your students deserve.
The Alfie Scholars Program is perfect for students who want to be a change-makers and find solutions to complex social issues. The program also awards a $15,000 scholarship per year for two years.
We cultivate Civility Leaders.
Alfie Scholars are students who
want to become Civility Leaders in their chosen professions and communities. Civility Leaders are committed to addressing social issues by empowering themselves through personal and intellectual growth; to using their voice to enlighten and speak for the voiceless; and to creating a vision for social change and leading others in making that change.
An ideal Alfie Scholar seeks to learn how to influence decisions about the social issues of our times through conversation and action; to bolster their core confidence through self-reflection and discernment; to ensure their ideas are based on a solid foundation of information with strong research, analytical, critical-thinking, and creative problem-solving skills; and to enhance their verbal and written communication skills.
The Alfie Scholar Advantages
$15,000 per year scholarship for two years
Civility leadership training
Intensive immersion summer program
Individual advising and instruction
Do you want to learn more about the program benefits? Review our FAQs
Requirements
The Alfie Scholars are selected from a pool of diverse students. Diversity includes a broad range of people, including those from diverse ethnic, racial, and non-traditional backgrounds, and first-generation students as well as those who have socioeconomic disadvantages, have physical or learning disabilities, and have overcome significant other obstacles.
To be considered for an Alfie Scholarship, applicants must have applied to Seattle University undergraduate programs through the normal transfer application processes and must have the following additional minimum qualifications:
Enrollment in a community college during the current academic year
Direct Transfer and/or an A.A. degree by August 1
A minimum undergraduate grade-point average of 3.5
A minimum of 4 quarters completed at the time of application
Leadership skills that will enable them to serve the community and foster civility in their chosen profession
Ernesto Chacon, Alfie Scholars Cohort 4, attended the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute in 2019. Alfie Scholars seek new challenges and opportunities to represent their communities and share their values with the world.
The A to Z of the Alfie Scholars Application Process:
Application – Please complete all sections carefully.
Resume/CV Activities – Please include your resume or curriculum vitae containing a summary of your education, work experience, service involvement, and up to five additional activities on which you spend a significant amount of time outside of class. These additional activities can include research/academic activities, sports, taking care of dependent loved ones, and/or hobbies. In addition, please list any honors or awards and the dates you received them, including membership on the Dean’s list, Vice President’s list, or President’s List; honors program participation; scholarships; other honors or awards from your community college; and any honors/awards/recognition for community service. Please follow the resume format for the sample at https://bit.ly/3HLO7qT
Application Requirements
Applicants must submit the following:
A completed application form
A resume/curriculum vitae
A one-and-a-half to two-page personal statement discussing your background and why you feel you are a match for the Alfie Scholars Program at Seattle University
Social Issue Essay – Because our mission is to cultivate civility leaders, the program's curriculum helps students use their voice and skills to make an impact on a social issue. In one page or less, please answer the following questions:
1. What social issue do you plan to impact?
2. How does the issue relate to civility?
3. Why is the issue important to you?
4.Why should the greater community care about it?Two-page response essay – After reading the article “Embracing Our Shared Humanity: Civility for Our Times”, please answer the following questions:
1. In what ways does incivility cost our collective society and individuals?
2. In what ways does civility benefit our collective society and individuals?
3. In what ways do you foster civility?One letter of recommendation that speaks to your intellectual ability and capacity to act as a leader in fostering civility specifically, in your major or prospective profession, or in general if you have not yet chosen a major or prospective profession. If possible, the letter should be from a professor at your community college.
After the application has been submitted, the selected prospective Alfie Scholars will be interviewed by the admission committee. The application date is April 30th, 2024. The interview dates are in the first two weeks of May 2024.
Academic transcripts – Please submit unofficial transcripts from all educational institutions you have attended after high school.
One letter of recommendation – Please provide one letter that speaks to your intellectual curiosity, your academic ability and achievement, and your capacity to act as a leader for civility in your chosen field or, if you have not yet chosen a field, in general. The letter should be from a professor at your community college, if possible.
Nominate a Student
Please nominate students who you know want to empower themselves to make THEIR difference. We will reach out to them. Nominations for our next cohort will be accepted until April 30th, 2024.
Questions?
Please contact us at alfischolars@seattleu.edu or Program Director Carol Cochran at ccochran@seattleu.edu