Scholarships and the Like

(for those with their eyes on prizes)

A Note of Caution

The following are scholarships that were offered to ROIAL students over the years of the program. The accompanying text and qualifications have been preserved here for posterity only; none of the following scholarships are presently offered (at least, not through the ROIAL Program).

Ruth Dahlberg Smith Study Abroad Scholarship

Every year, a $1000 Award is given out to a current or past ROIALie planning to study abroad within the following fall, spring, or summer semesters. To apply, a student must write two essays describing future goals and goals for learning while on Study Abroad. The deadline for the Study Abroad Scholarship is March 30, 2007, and the winner will be announced (and awarded) at the ROIAL Recognition Ceremony.

Feel free to send us an e-mail or stop by the office with any questions you may have.
For the printable application, complete with essay requirements, click here.

2005's winning essay was written by Lisa Broniak.

2006 saw four winners:

Cedric Tai (grand prize), Cari Clift, Galena Rhew, and Lisa Shaw (runners-up).

ROIAL Essay Contest

ROIAL also sponsors an annual essay contest for all current ROIAL students. The first place winner in each class receives a cash prize of $100. The topics of the essay vary from year to year; this year's topics are as follows:

For freshmen:

When current ROIAL students, staff and alumnae move into RCAH and Snyder-Phillips in August 2007, many changes will occur in our living and learning community. What aspects of the ROIAL experience would you like to see retained in RCAH's program design and in the living and learning environment in Snyder-Phillips? What suggestions might you offer to RCAH administrators and Residence Life staff for retaining what you consider to be the very best of ROIAL? What dreams do you have for your experience as a RCAH student? How can YOU help make those dreams come true?

For sophomores:

Here's an interesting situation: Assume you are a staff writer for the MSU Yearbook assigned to write an entry about ROIAL for the 2006-2007 publication. MSU President Lou Anna Simon calls you to be sure ROIAL gets a strong write-up since this is the program's 10th anniversary and final year. In your essay, you decide you want to not only reveal ROIAL's benefits to students, but you want to show how ROIAL has made a difference to MSU. Write that essay for your contest entry.

The essay should be 1000-1500 words, typed in standard essay format, and delivered to the ROIAL Office on or before Friday, March 30, 2007 at 12:00 PM. Put your name, student number, and room number in the upper left hand corner of the first page of your essay, and your last name in the same location on successive pages. Put your essay in a sealed manila envelope clearly labeled ROIAL ESSAY CONTEST.

The entries will be judged "blind" by a relative outsider from the MSU Press. The winner of the essay contest will be announced at the ROIAL Recognition Ceremony, and he or she will be invited to read his or her essay. We will also publish the essay on the ROIAL web page and seek publication of it in a university magazine or possibly include the essay with brochures and information sent to prospective ROIAL students.

If you have any questions about this, come to the office and we'll see if we can answer them. We hope all of you will consider entering the contest. And while you're at it, help yourself to a look at these winning essays of the past:

2002 Winner - Megan Zdrojkowski

2003 Winner - Colleen Farrow

2004 Winners - Lisa Broniak and Joseph Dresch

2005 Winner - Joseph Dresch

2006 Winners:

Freshman - Leslie Anderson
Sophomore - Amy Geiser

Extended Photo Essay Contest

This award would be for a series of photographs which you have taken which you feel offers some commentary or narrative on an issue, experience, or idea that you feel passionately about. Be creative in both your taking of the photographs and in your presentation of them. All entries must be mounted on posterboard or projectboard and be ready for display. Some "topics" which might be relevant would be your ROIAL experience (haven't you been taking photographs all along of your ROIAL friends and frolics?), friendship and/or community, campus life, a political issue (homelessness, environmental destruction/preservation, etc.). Think about taking an abstraction (knowledge, religion, patriotism, truth) and making it concrete through images. Choose something you feel passionate about and convey that to the viewer. Photos on the poster should each be titled. A sentence or two of commentary on the whole collection is permitted. The essay itself should also have a title.

The winning entry will receive a gift certificate from the MSU Bookstore.

Entries are due in the ROIAL Office by Friday, April 6.