Friends of Volo Bog Scholarships


Application Deadline March 31st 

  
A. Basic Scholarship Information
 
1. Eligibility 
Two scholarships are offered by the Friends of Volo Bog. One is for a high school senior who will attend an accredited 
college or university with plans for an environmental-related career, the second is for a continuing college student pursuing 
an environmental-related career and who is attending an accredited college or university. To be eligible for a Friends of 
Volo Bog scholarship, the applicant must reside in Lake, McHenry, Kane, Cook, DuPage, Kendall, or Will County, and 
must have attended a high school in one of these counties with satisfactory academic performance.
 
2. Amount of Award 
The award for each winner will be a one-time scholarship of $1,000 for the school year starting in September. 
 
3. Selection 
Selection will be based upon scholastic achievement, career objectives, and a statement of personal environmental ethics.
 
A selection committee, appointed by the Friends of Volo Bog Board of Directors, will read and review the application 
packages. Committee members will evaluate the essays. The identity of the authors will remain anonymous to those 
who evaluate the essays until the results of the selection process is presented to the Friends of Volo Bog Board of Directors. 
The Friends of Volo Bog Board of Directors will make the final decision by May. 
 
4. How to Apply 
A successful application package will include the following: 
 
i. A COMPLETED APPLICATION FORM – Application forms will be available at Volo Bog State Natural Area, and 
 online by scrolling down and clicking on Scholarship Apps & Forms. They may also be available at some school guidance offices. 
 Please read Section B, Application Guidelines, for specific application requirements. An incomplete or postage-due application 
 will be disqualified.
 
ii. TWO LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION - One letter of recommendation should be from a teacher or guidance counselor,
  and the second letter may be from any adult, not related to the applicant, who can address the applicant’s motivation
  and maturity. (See Section B, Application Guidelines, item 4, for more details on theses requirements.)
 
iii. AN OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT – A minimum of a 3.0 GPA, on a 4-point scale, is required. The most recent available 
 transcript, with GPA computed on a 4-point scale, must be provided from your current school’s guidance office. 
 (Note - you may need to ask your guidance department to translate your school’s GPA computation to a 4-point scale. Be 
 sure to share the Application Guidelines with your school’s guidance office.)
 
iv. AN ESSAY ENTITLED “MY STATEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS 
 
  v. A PROFESSIONAL GOALS PARAGRAPH
 
The application package should be submitted, under the same cover, to:
 Friends of Volo Bog Scholarship 
 Volo Bog State Natural Area 
 28478 W. Brandenburg Road 
 Ingleside, Illinois 60041 
 
6. Award 
The scholarship recipient will be notified by the end of May and will be presented at the Friends of Volo Bog Annual 
Meeting. The recipient will also be featured in the FOVB newsletter. Checks will be made jointly in the student’s name 
and college’s name and may be used for tuition, room, board 
or other fees. 
 
B. Application Guidelines 
Please read the following guidelines carefully before completing the scholarship application form. A successful application 
will adhere to all of the following details. 
 
1.  The Application Form 
All required information on the Official Application Form must be completed. Failure to do so will result in disqualification. 
It is acceptable to use a photocopy of the form. You can Scroll down and click on Scholarship Apps & Forms
2. The Essay Statement 
TOPIC. On separate paper, write a statement of your personal environmental ethics. The essay should be simply 
titled “My Statement of Environmental Ethics”. The statement of environmental ethics should express your beliefs 
regarding the environment and your relationship to it. The statement should communicate how your actions reflect 
your ethics. Your ethics statement can address the local, national, and/or global nature of the importance of the 
environment, and the complexity of mankind’s relationship to it on any level.
 
FORMAT. Do not put your name on the essay. (Each applicant remains anonymous to the essay-reviewing committee 
members.) The essay should be free of grammatical and spelling errors. It should not exceed 400 words. The essay must 
be typewritten, single-spaced, and in a font that is not smaller than 12-point. The margins should be one-inch on all sides.
 No hint of plagiarism will be accepted so be sure to cite anything not your own. 
 
3. The Professional Goals Paragraph 
On a separate page from your statement of environmental ethics, tell us your intended career goal and describe how your 
immediate educational plans will help you achieve your professional objectives. 
 
FORMAT. This paragraph must be no longer than 200 words, or a half-page in 12-point font. It must be typewritten, and 
clearly titled “Goals Paragraph”. Do not write your name on this page.
 
4. Recommendation Letters 
Two letters of recommendation should validate the information included in your application package. (A third letter may 
be included if you desire.) One letter must be from a teacher or guidance counselor who has known you for at least 
one year. The other letter(s) may be from any adult that has been significant to you, other than a relative, who has 
knowledge of your motivation and maturity. 
 
Each letter must be submitted, along with a recommendation form, in its own sealed envelope and then placed with the rest 
of the application package materials. The author of the letter must sign the sealed flap of the envelope. Be sure to 
remind the person giving you a recommendation to include a completed recommendation form. (It would be 
courteous to provide an envelope and to fill in your name at the top of the recommendation form.) 
 
Recommendation letters written by the applicant, his/her relatives or legal guardian(s), or anyone under 21 years of age will 
not be accepted. 
 
5. An Official Transcript of Grades 
High School Seniors should include an official high school transcript, or permanent record, showing final grades for 9th, 
10th and 11th grades. 
 
Continuing college students should include an official transcript from their current college, and a copy of the final high school transcript. 
 
The official transcript from the current school must clearly show a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.00 on the 4.0 scale. 
If a different scale is used, the GPA must be converted to a 4.0-point scale by a school official and clearly marked on the transcript
or record. The official transcript must have an official signature and/or school seal. 
 
A school official should also sign the GPA Certification section, item #4, of the scholarship Application Form. If an 
official transcript/record is released in a sealed signed envelope, the envelope must accompany the application package.
 
6. Preparing the Application Package 
All pages and materials must be standard 8” by 11” size. Print quality must be clear and dark enough to photocopy 
readable copies. The paper on which the essay and goal paragraph are written must be capable of running through a 
standard copy machine. Creative and innovative energy used to express ideas in the essay will be appreciated, but 
the use of unusual paper that cannot be run through a standard copier may disqualify the applicant.
 

6. Preparing the Application Package (Continued) 
Assemble your application package in the following order: 
1. The Application Package Check List (be sure to use 
the appropriate application list: High School Applicant or Continuing College Applicant)
2. The Official Application Form 
3. Two (or three) letters of recommendation, each in its own sealed and signed envelope
4. Official transcripts - from the high school for the high school senior applicant, and from the college for the continuing college applicant.
5. ‘My Statement of Environmental Ethics’ essay 
6. Goals Paragraph 
 
Enclose all parts of the application package in one envelope and send to: 
 Friends of Volo Bog Scholarship 
 Volo Bog State Natural Area 
 28478 W. Brandenburg Road 
 Ingleside, Illinois 60041 
The complete application package must be delivered through postal mail to Volo Bog State Natural Area, (same address listed above).
No hand-delivered, faxed, or emailed applications will be accepted. The Friends of Volo Bog is not responsible for postal or delivery
delays, delays due to acts of God, mail that is misdirected, lost, or that has postage due. 
 
7. Application Deadline 
All applications must be postmarked no later than March 31st for the school year starting in September.
 
Applications for the each year’s scholarship will be accepted beginning January 15th in for the school year to being in September of that 
year. Students are encouraged to submit the applications package early.
 
8. Notification and Recognition
The high school and continuing college winners and their respective schools will be notified in May. The names of the winners will be 
posted in Volo Bog Visitor Center and they will be invited to the Friends of Volo Bog Annual Meeting for an official presentation where 
their statements of environmental ethics will be read. The statements, or sections thereof, may be published in the Friends of Volo 
Bog newsletter.
 
Final word to every applicant - 
The Friends of Volo Bog is an organization of people dedicated to the preservation 
and appreciation of the unique natural features at Volo Bog. We enthusiastically 
applaud your interest in an environment-related career and hope that this 
scholarship opportunity encourages you in this endeavor. Your success will be a 
success for all of the natural community, wherever you work and play. Wherever your 
environmental education path takes you, we hope you’ll come and visit Volo Bog, too. 
Thank you and good luck in all you do.
 

 Scholarship (High School entering College) App & Forms
 
Scholarship (Continuing College) App & Forms
 
Home