OVCEF Scholarship Tips for Oley Valley Seniors

Set yourself up for success! Use these tips to create a strong, thoughtful, and complete scholarship application.

Cover Letter Tips

Start Strong: Address your letter to the OVCEF Scholarship Committee or OVCEF Trustees and mention the specific scholarship(s) you're applying for by name.
Tell Your Story: Share a meaningful experience that shaped who you are—something tied to family, school, or community. Explain your educational goals and future aspirations, and why this field or career interests you. This is where you begin to set yourself apart from your peers.
Connect to Community: Talk about your connection to Oley Valley or how you’ve given back through school activities or community service.
Be Sincere & Grateful: Express appreciation for the opportunity and keep your tone genuine and enthusiastic.

Resume Tips

Keep It Clean and Easy to Read: Use clear headings such as Education, Extracurriculars, Work Experience, Community Involvement, Awards, Skills.
Include What Matters: Focus on leadership, service, and dedication—qualities OVCEF values.
Use Action Words: “Organized,” “Led,” “Assisted,” “Volunteered,” etc.
Show Impact: Include numbers or results when possible, such as 'Raised $800 for Relay for Life' or 'Tutored 10 peers weekly'.

Choose 3 Trusted Adults: These can be any adults who know you and have a good understanding of your character. We recommend having a variety (not just three teachers). For example, a teacher, coach, and employer would be a good mix of references.
Include Full Contact Information: List their name, title/relationship to you, phone number, and email address.
Ask for Permission: Let them know you’re using them as a reference and confirm they’re comfortable being contacted.

Know Your Application: Be ready to expand upon what you wrote in your cover letter and resume.
Speak with Confidence: Share your passions, goals, and how the scholarship would help you succeed.
Reflect Oley Valley Values: Highlight community involvement, integrity, and dedication.
Bring Gratitude and Questions: Thank the committee and ask thoughtful questions if given the chance.

For those applying for the Resiliency Scholarship

Choose a meaningful challenge or hardship. This might include personal, family, academic, medical, financial, or other obstacles. The key is that the challenge significantly impacted you and required strength and perseverance to move through.
Explain how the challenge affected you. Help the reader understand why this experience was difficult and how it influenced your life, mindset, goals, or responsibilities.
Show what you did in response. Committees look for demonstrated resilience—actions you took, steps you tried, decisions you made, or ways you kept moving forward even when it was hard.
Highlight growth and positive change. Share what you learned, how you have grown, and how the experience has shaped your goals, character, or future plans.
Explain how your resilience continues to guide you today. How are you working toward a better future? What goals are you pursuing? How will this scholarship help you stay on that path?