​BRENDA LOOMIS “HELLO MY FRIEND”
MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

 The “Hello My Friend” Brenda Loomis Scholarship provides financial support to bilingual students from Arizona who demonstrate academic excellence, and a desire to make a meaningful  contribution to society.

The “Hello My Friend” memorial scholarship fund was established in memory of a valued member of the early childhood education community, Brenda Loomis. Upon her death in 2012, at age of 42, the scholarship was established to provide new and renewed scholarships to help college students with limited financial resources achieve high academic goals and develop their scholarship capacity in southern Arizona. The scholarship will be managed by the Southern Arizona Association for Education of Young Children (SAZAEYC), a nonprofit organization to which Brenda was highly dedicated.

This scholarship honors Brenda’s life as an advocate of young children, and will provide financial assistance to a member or members of SAZAEYC in continuing their education towards an AA, BA or MA degree. The criteria of the scholarship include

• academic excellence
• exemplary citizenship
• commitment to the Early Care and Education profession
• financial need
  
  

To be eligible, a student must be:

• Working in the field of early childhood education
• From at least one of the following ethnicities: African-American, American Indian/Alaska Native*, Asian & Pacific Islander American, and/or Hispanic American
• Demonstrate a financial need
• In good academic standing with their institute of higher education or eligible to enroll in a higher education institution

An ideal candidate will also have the following:​

•  An outstanding academic record
• Demonstrated leadership ability and community engagement (e.g., as shown through participation in community service, extracurricular, or other activities)
•  Exceptional personal success skills (e.g., emotional maturity, motivation, perseverance, etc.)
• Bilingual
• Passionate about continuing to serve children in a social justice way and supporting the communities of color, particularly the Latina/o/x community
  
  

Scholars will receive $500 toward academic costs, which may include:

• tuition
• textbooks and/or other course materials
• room and board

The recipient of this scholarship will be invited to participate in the early childhood education professional community by attending any SAZAEYC board meetings and/or serving on local AEYC committees. The recipient will also be invited to attend the annual conference as a guest and encouraged to be involved in the event.

 The recipient will be recognized at the Annual Awards Brunch and will attend as an honored guest of SAZAEYC.  
 Learn more about the Annual Awards Brunch here.
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If you have questions about the Brenda Loomis “Hello My Friend” Scholarship, contact Kelly Larkin at executivedirector@sazaeyc.org  or (520) 777-0867.