YMTA Scholarship Program 2011

Norm Manly – YMTA
Maritime Educational Scholarship

The 2011 Norm Manly Youth Maritime Training Association (YMTA) Maritime Educational Scholarships are available to students pursuing maritime training and education in community colleges, technical and vocational programs, colleges, universities, maritime academies or other educational institutions. Norm Manly YMTA Scholarships will be awarded in the amounts of $5,000, $3,000, $1,000, and $500 in the spring of 2011 to help pay for tuition and books. The Scholarships are sponsored by maritime businesses or organizations. The YMTA is a non-discriminating nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and supporting students who wish to pursue careers in the maritime industry including the marine sciences.

The scholarships may be used by students pursuing maritime training and education in community colleges, technical and vocational programs, colleges, universities, maritime academies or other educational institutions. Scholarships will be awarded in the amounts of one $5,000, one $3,000, and two $1,000 in the spring of 2010. In addition, Pacific Maritime Magazine will award a $500 scholarship to one of the finalists planning to pursue a seagoing maritime career.

Pacific Maritime Magazine will award a $500 scholarship to one of the YMTA finalists planning to pursue a seagoing maritime career. The Pacific Maritime Magazine Scholarship can be used for any post-secondary maritime training program, including programs offered by marine skills and training institutes, community colleges, or four-year universities or maritime academies. Pacific Maritime Magazine is a widely circulated maritime publication on the Pacific Coast that is specifically aimed at the operations sector of the West Coast maritime industry.

Eligibility:

-Must plan to pursue a post-secondary training or educational program leading to a maritime or marine related career.

-Enrolled as a senior in a high school or affiliated high school program, including GED program in the State of Washington.

-Have a Grade point average of at least 2.5 or an additional letter of recommendation from a second teacher (see Application Procedures below).

-Relatives of members of the YMTA Executive Board, the Scholarship Committee, or the executive management team or owners of businesses or organizations sponsoring the YMTA scholarships are not eligible for YMTA Scholarships.

-Applicants for the YMTA scholarship who are planning to pursue a seagoing maritime career will be eligible for the Pacific Maritime Magazine scholarship.

Application Procedure and Deadlines:

There are two parts, student application and education project, to the Scholarship process and two deadlines.

Application contains:

1. Application Form

2. Current unofficial high school transcript

3. A 500 word (minimum) essay describing a training/education plan of study to pursue a marine career and how a YMTA scholarship will contribute to the success of the plan.  In addition, the essay should address personal and career goals, career path plans, marine interest and experiences, relevant academic and work experiences including community service. Essays will be judged for content, organization, and grammar, spelling and neatness.

4. Letters of support from one teacher (two teachers if GPA is less than 2.5).  An optional letter of support from a member of the maritime community is encouraged, but not required. Letters will be reviewed to assess the applicant’s character, initiative, leadership abilities, and commitment to a marine career.

No additional application or information will be required to be eligible for Pacific Maritime Magazine scholarship.  Applicants are encouraged to have a parent or teacher review their application package prior to being submitted to the YMTA Scholarship Committee.

Deadline. Applications must be received by YMTA Scholarship Committee Chair by Monday, February 21, 2011. Applications will be reviewed by the Committee who will then select the best applicants to be invited to continue the process. Applicants will be notified by Monday, February 28, 2011.

Educational Project. Prepare and present a 5-10 minute talk on the topic of “Charting a Maritime Career.” Questions to explore in preparing the presentation might include:

1.  Why do you think this particular maritime career will continue to be important?

2.  What changes would you expect to see in this career over the next 10-20 years?

3.  What are the skills, qualifications and experience required for the career?

4.  What are the available alternatives for training and education?

5.  What are employer requirements in addition to specific skills and qualifications, e.g., personal abilities, aptitudes, traits?

6.  What are some of the job titles, descriptions and salaries?

7.  Incorporate information gleaned from discussions with a member of the maritime community.

If you do not know someone from the maritime community, contact Gary Stauffer, YMTA President (206-300-5559 or garystauffer47@msn.com), for a name of someone to talk with. Applicant’s talk will be evaluated and ranked for content and presentation by a panel of judges. Content will be judged for on topic, accuracy of information, and list of references and resources cited. Presentation will be judged for knowledge of topic, professionalism, and enthusiasm. A question and answer session lead by the panel of judges will follow each individual presentation. The application essays will also be judged by the Publisher in selecting the winner of the Pacific Maritime Magazine Scholarship.

Deadline: Submit a draft of the presentation (power point presentation via email is preferred) to be received by Scholarship Committee Chair by Friday, April 1, 2011 for review and comments.  Comments will be returned to the applicant in advance of the formal presentation event on Saturday, April 16, 2011.

Presentation of projects will be held in Seattle at location to be determined starting at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 16, 2011, in front of a panel of judges. Family and friends of the students are invited to attend the presentations. After the presentations, the panel of judges will meet to evaluate the talks. The winners of Norm Manly YMTA and the Pacific Maritime Magazine scholarships will be announce at the end of the event once the judges complete their deliberations. The winners will also be invited to attend the Wednesday, June 15, 2011 luncheon of the Propeller Club Seattle where they will be introduced to the maritime community by the YMTA leadership.

The 2011 Norm Manly YMTA Maritime Educational Scholarships are sponsored by the Seattle/Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Council of American Master Mariners ($5,000 Scholarship) www.mastermariner.org/SPNW, Foss Maritime Co ($3,000 Scholarship) www.foss.com, Compass Courses Maritime Training ($1,000 Scholarship) www.compasscourses.com, Viking Bank ($1,000 Scholarship) www.vikingbank.com, and John and Anita Crawford ($500 Scholarship)

For more information contact your teacher, or email Carleen See, Norm Manly YMTA Scholarship Committee Chair carleeninballard@yahoo.com.

To learn more about the Norm Manly YMTA Scholarship and your requirements for participation download the following documents.