Leadership is one of the fundamental qualities required to succeed in college and beyond. Leaders across all fields possess a few qualities such as great communication, problem-solving, and initiative. These qualities indicate a student's potential for future achievement, something college admissions officers look for in an application. The good news is that like any other skill, leadership can be enhanced over time. There are some selective scholarship programs that can build such unique skills. 

If you want to develop your leadership skills while working on a project that involves your community in making a real change on the ground, the Bezos Scholars Program may be the right choice for you! This is a year-long, free program that aims to help high school students engage with their communities through impactful projects. Bezos Scholars develop leadership skills similar to those you gain in college. Each student receives $1,000 to launch a project that addresses problems in their community. You also receive free college advising.

In this blog, we discuss all aspects of the Bezos Scholars Program. Continue reading to find out if applying to this program is the right choice for you. 

What is the Bezos Scholars Program?

The Bezos Scholars Program is a year-long, free program that helps 17 exceptional high school juniors (12 from the USA and 5 from Africa) become capable leaders who can lead change in their communities. Throughout the program year, Scholars participate in virtual workshops designed to aid their personal growth, hone their leadership skills, and encourage them to apply their learning through their Community Change Project. 

The program was launched in 2005 by the Bezos Family Foundation in partnership with the Aspen Institute. Bezos Scholars receive more than 40 hours of leadership training, and they attend sessions with leaders like former members of Congress, published authors, and more. They receive $1,000 in seed funding to launch their Community Change Projects, with the chance to apply for funding renewal. Students also receive free one-on-one college advising throughout the program. As part of the Scholar Alumni Network, former participants can continue to contribute to the program and participate in various events. 

Should I Apply to be a Bezos Scholar?

This program seeks students who are passionate about making a lasting change in their communities and can successfully execute a project through good leadership. While there is no minimum grade requirement to apply for the program, students with a good academic record will have an advantage in the selection process. The three main criteria for selection are intellectual curiosity and commitment to education, demonstrated leadership and community engagement, and readiness and capacity to engage in the program. 

If you have faced any challenges throughout high school, you can share more about them and how you overcame them in your application. If you have excelled at a public speaking event or have good presentation skills, make sure to highlight that in your application. 

The Bezos Scholar Program is a unique experience that engages you throughout the academic year to help you build crucial skills to excel as a leader. With just 12 students selected every year from the USA, you will be part of an exclusive alumni network, where your peers are passionate, intellectually curious, and rising leaders in their schools and communities. You will interact with students from different backgrounds, which will expand your thinking and creativity. 

The program also offers free, personalized college advising, including support finding and applying for scholarships and financial aid.

Who is Eligible to Apply?

The program is open to high school juniors who have U.S. citizenship, permanent resident status, or DACA status. The other eligibility requirements are—

• Attend a public high school in the United States that currently has a 30% or greater overall free and reduced lunch rate.

• Enrolled in or have taken during your high school career one or more advanced courses. Honors, Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and college-level all apply.

• Able to nominate an educator, a willing and supportive adult from your school, who will complete a recommendation form for you when applying and fully participate in the program with you if you are selected.

Students currently attending a school that a Scholar was selected from in 2023 or 2024 are not eligible to apply for the 2025 cohort.

What are the Benefits of Attending?

Throughout the program, you will attend sessions conducted by partnership institutes. In the previous cohorts, there were multiple sessions by Storytellers for Change to help you learn how to use personal narratives to connect across differences and build engagement. A series by national nonprofit nXu helps participants define their purpose and translate it into a Community Change Project. Instruction from the nonprofit design studio Ideo.org is useful in developing a research plan built on insight, ideas, and engagement from the community being served. 

The program includes an all-expenses-paid trip to the Aspen Ideas Festival in Aspen, Colorado in June. This is a week-long festival consisting of talks, events, and workshops. You will have plenty of opportunities to connect with leaders, writers, and entrepreneurs. 

What is the Application Deadline? What are the Program Dates? 

Applications open on November 21, 2024 and close on January 21, 2025. The initial round of selection ensures that you meet all the eligibility requirements. Each application is reviewed three times by different selection committee members and depending on the scores given to the applicants, Bezos staff selects the semifinalists. In the second round, shortlisted candidates are invited for virtual interviews. Finally, your nominated educator is invited for a virtual interview. The final list of scholars will be released in April 2025. 

If selected, you will receive onboarding materials and participate in virtual sessions with the cohort and staff at the end of your junior year. The summer before your senior year, you will attend the Aspen Ideas Festival for a week. As part of the program, you are required to attend virtual sessions twice a month on Saturdays.

You will begin planning and developing your Community Change Project in the fall of your senior year, participating in virtual sessions and workshops with speakers. In the winter, you prepare a presentation to showcase your project, start building a team of youth and community members to help you, and complete a grant proposal for the  $1,000 seed funding to launch your project. 

Projects are vetted and launched by February, and your participation in fine-tuning the project might continue until graduation. The program ends in April as you continue to work on your project and present it to your community. 

Who Are Bezos Scholars?

Bezos Scholars are future leaders who are passionate about making a change in their communities and learning from industry leaders and mentors. Past scholars have attended colleges like Brown University, University of Southern California, and Cornell University. Working on projects with a real-world impact ignites a passion for social work among Scholars, many of whom continue to work in their communities to make changes. 

Blake O’Connor, a 2009 cohort participant, started the I Feel the Need to Read Festival in Tampa, Florida to promote literacy among second-grade students and parents. He was selected for the prestigious Robertson Scholars Leadership Program, which covers full tuition and boarding costs for eight semesters at Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill. He now works with public school districts to implement digital solutions for high-needs and special populations. 

Over 218 community projects have been completed by Bezos Scholars, and you can find a list of their projects here. 

10 Tips to Boost Your Application to the Bezos Scholars Program— 

1. Prepare well in advance of the deadline: This is true for any exam or application in general. As you know the deadline for the application, you can pace yourself and complete the application in phases. This will help avoid last-minute jitters and also give you enough time to double or triple-check all your responses. Completing the application early will also help demonstrate good organization and time management skills to the selection committee. 

2. Connect with former Scholars: As former applicants themselves, Bezos Scholars Alumni are a valuable source of guidance in preparing for the program. It could be useful to search for past Scholars through LinkedIn and contact them if possible. There are hundreds of program alumni, so you might even find alumni from your area. 

3. Ensure that you are familiar with the program website: The Bezos program has a fixed schedule and criteria for the application that seldom change. So it’s a good idea to visit the website and go through any news updates, blogs, or resources to find any details that will help you with your application. 

4. Understand how your goals align with the program: When applying for a program or a job, it is essential to check if you would be a good fit for the role, and just meeting the eligibility criteria is not enough. As this program demands a year-long commitment, you should take some time to visualize how you will grow through the program and what your learning outcomes are. If you are passionate about working in your community, reflect that in your application. 

5. Review application requirements and understand what is expected from you: There’s no better way to work on the application than to fully understand the Application Guide beforehand. Your video and essay should indicate why you want to pursue this opportunity and how you can add value to the program. Your application should be thoughtful, well-written, and convey what makes you unique. 

6. Nominate a good educator: The educator nomination is an essential part of the application. Choosing the right person will help you devote your energy to the project. An ideal educator will have a good relationship with the student, be supportive of student-led initiatives, and be willing to go beyond the requirements of the program to help the participants. 

7. Focus on your strengths, not your shortcomings: It is possible to get distracted by negative thoughts when applying for a competitive program, and you might be fixated on issues like thinking your GPA isn't high enough. The program welcomes students from all backgrounds, and someone who is responsible and can take initiative is the ideal candidate. Use your background to your advantage. You can share how you overcame challenges in your life or tell a story in which you made a difference to your community. 

8. Make a plan and stick to it: The Bezos Scholars selection process is very competitive, with only 12 Scholars selected from across the United States each year. Participants are expected to have good organizational skills and a positive attitude. While applying for a prestigious scholarship can be overwhelming, making a plan and establishing a timeline will help overcome any nerves.

9. When in doubt, reach out for help: As future leaders, you are expected to have a good command over your thoughts, great presentation and writing skills, and a vision for the future. You need to demonstrate these in your application, and it is recommended to have a fresh set of eyes read your essays. You can ask your parents, teachers, or even seniors to go through your application and point out areas of improvement or simply provide feedback. 

10. Have confidence in yourself: If you have prepared well for the application and double-checked everything, have faith and confidence in your abilities. Since selection to the program is not solely based on academic performance, you should highlight the unique things you bring to the table. Check out this short video, where former participants recall how they felt about their selection chances. After watching it, you might feel more confident in yourself.

One more thing—if you’re looking to build a project or research paper in the field of AI & ML, consider applying to Veritas AI! 

Veritas AI is founded by Harvard graduate students for ambitious high school students. Through the programs, you get a chance to work 1-1 with mentors from universities like Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and more to create unique, personalized projects. In the past year, we had over 1000 students learn AI & ML with us. You can apply here!

AI + Medicine: In the AI + Medicine program, students learn how AI is used in the healthcare and medical industry. Students get a chance to work on real-world projects using AI & ML models to diagnose diseases, sharpen medical scans, and explain their outcomes to aid doctors and patients. Here is the program brochure and the application form.

AI + Finance: Through the AI + Finance program, students gain a deeper understanding of AI applications in the financial field.  They get a chance to engage in lectures, code walkthroughs, and real-world projects using AI & ML models to predict future financial patterns using past data, forecasting stock prices, and more. Here is the program brochure and the application form.

Image source:  Bezos Scholars Program Logo