Review Details and submit your application

The scholarship is designed to assist BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) high school seniors in grade 12 who are motivated and plan to attend an accredited post-secondary institution in the fall of 2024. For scholarship eligibility, students must complete the application below and meet the following requirements (attachments are required as described)

  • Participation in school leadership activities and/or extra-curricular programs and strong volunteer/charitable service record
  • Overall GPA of 2.5 or better (copy of current transcript or report card required)
  • Two letters of recommendation from your high school counselors or teachers (submitted on high school letterhead), church leader, or mentor
  • 500–750 word typed essay (PDF or Word document format) answering the following question:
    • Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination took place on Thursday, April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. King penned this quote: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Share your reaction to this quote and provide at least two ways you can fight against the spread of hate and encourage love for others in your community.

The Arthur “Pappy” Kennedy family, YMCA of Central Florida, the Southwest Orlando Jaycees, and other community partners will award multiple Arthur “Pappy” Kennedy Scholarships on the basis of academic performance, essay quality, and volunteer/charitable service record as well as participation in school leadership and/or extracurricular programs. All essays will be reviewed by the Arthur “Pappy” Kennedy Scholarship Committee.

Please include all required documents in your submission.

Important Dates

  • Application Deadline: November 15, 2023
  • Award Notification: Week of November 30, 2023
  • Video Taping: Week of December 4
  • Award Presentation (must be present): January 15, 2024
  • The scholarship(s) will be disbursed no later than October 2024 after receiving verification documentation that students are enrolled into their college/university of choice.

Quick Info

All qualified scholarship applications must be fully completed with required documents attached. Please be sure to have all attachments ready at the time of submission. Incomplete applications cannot be saved.

Contact Patrick Jackson at [email protected] (subject line: Arthur “Pappy” Kennedy Scholarship Application”) for additional support.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND ATTACHMENTS

By typing my name below, I hereby certify that all information on this application is true and accurate. I am fully aware that any misrepresentation will result in disqualification of my application.





Please upload a personal essay in PDF or Word doc format answering the following prompt in 500–700 words:
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination took place on Thursday, April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. King penned this quote: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Share your reaction to this quote and provide at least two ways you can fight against the spread of hate and encourage love for others in your community.


Please upload two letters of recommendation.



Please upload a copy of your most recent transcript or report card.

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