SDIAS Mahatma Gandhi Scholarship

UPDATED 2024/2025

SDIAS Mahatma Gandhi Scholarship for Community College Students is intended to provide financial support for community college studies who demonstrate financial need and are the first in their family to attend college.

Purpose of the award is to reduce 1) unmet need 2) loans 3) work study awards. Awardees will be commemorated at our annual Mahatma Gandhi Lecture and Awards
Ceremony (mandatory attendance) with a US Congressional Certificate of Achievement.

Awardees will also have the opportunity to meet with potential Mentors and experts in
various fields of students’ interest at the SDIAS Awards Ceremony. Students requesting to be mentored for that year will be paired up with either a panel of mentors, or individual mentors as needed.

SELECTION PROCESS
A slate of finalists will be selected by the district scholarship committee based on
financial need, academics and activities. Finalists will be required to participate in a short interview with members of San Diego Indian American Society (SDIAS) to be conducted on campus.

To be considered for this scholarship you:

  • Must be enrolled at San Diego City, Mesa or Miramar College
  • Complete an 2024-25 application for Financial Aid (FASFA) or California Dream
    Act (CADAA), and be eligible for financial aid (demonstrated/ available need)

    • Award funds will be disbursed:
    Next Academic Year (Fall Semester)

Award
$1000
Deadline
02/13/2025
Supplemental Questions
  1. 2024: Your Educational Journey. Please share the following: The educational journey that led you to Mesa, including what you did before coming here and what made you decide to enroll at Mesa. Your future goals, including what you plan to do after graduation from Mesa and what your long-term career and educational goals are. Why you chose your major or field of study. You do not need to include every detail, but please try to address each part of the question (your goals, challenges overcome, and what it would mean to you). (500 words)
  2. 2024: Resiliency Question. Please share the following: How you have exhibited resiliency in your life. Specific examples of a challenge or challenges that you have overcome. How this scholarship will have a meaningful impact on your educational journey. You do not need to include every detail, but please try to address each part of the question (your goals, challenges overcome, and what it would mean to you). (500 words)
  3. 2024: Financial Need Essay. Submit an original essay describing your financial need. Mention if you are eligible for PELL or BOG funding, or describe why you are not eligible for PELL or BOG. Include any outside financial support you receive from all sources. (500 words)
  4. 2024: Please note that finalists will be required to participate in a short interview with members of San Diego Indian American Society. Do you agree to this interview?
  5. 2024: Mahatma Gandhi was a world-famous Indian civil rights leader who inspired several non-violent, peaceful yet highly successful movements for civil rights and freedom across the world through his staunch adherence to Truth, Non-violence, Compassion, and Kindness. Looking inward, describe an experience or situation in which you did incorporate (or could have incorporated) Mahatma Gandhi’s values in (a) your own personal life, (b) in your interactions with your community, to produce better results. Considering recent world, national or local events / occurrences / situations - If you were in charge of the situation, which of Gandhi’s values would you have incorporated to achieve a better solution? Optional this year- a video (up to 3 minutes in length) about nonviolence can be submitted in the application in place of or in addition to the essay. Video should be shared by inserting a link in the essay portion of the application.