The Commission for Women voted at their meeting on October 5, 2015, to change the name of "The Girls at Risk Educational Scholarship Program" to "The Los Angeles County Commission for Women (LACCW) Resilience Scholarship Program."

The scholarship program was created in 1999.  This is when the Commission for Women hosted an annual Run/Walk event to raise funds for young women.  The Commission has taken proceeds from this and other annual events to provide over 300 young women supplemental educational scholarships.

The Commission, as throughout Los Angeles County was hit with economic challenges in 2011.  And the Commission has not been able to host the Run/Walk event since 2011.  Knowing this could risk the further assistance to young women, the Commission utilized its Women of the Year event, to continue to raise funds for the LACCW Resilience Scholarship Program.

These girls and their special and varied circumstances are given the option to use their funds not solely for tuition, but for other fundamentals such as books, medical insurance, school supplies, child care and clothing.

The goal of the Commission is to have equal representation from each Supervisorial District.  Therefore, first-time candidates must reside in Los Angeles County.

Now Accepting Applications for the 2025 Los Angeles County Commission for Women Resilience Scholarship Program

Los Angeles County Commission for Women

RESILIENCE SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION

Janet Elliott Mummey, Esq.

Commissioner Janet Elliot Mummey, Esq., had the foresight and impetus to create the Resilience Scholarship. A tireless champion for women, children, and the elderly, she dedicated her professional career to empowering and improving women's education. Since the inception of the Resilience Scholarship in 1999, the Los Angeles County Commission for Women has maintained its steadfast commitment to this invaluable endeavor. The Commission for Women has awarded more than half a million dollars in educational scholarships to women throughout Los Angeles County.

RESILIENCE

LACCW defines resilience as those students who have demonstrated exceptional perseverance in the face of challenges, whether personal, academic, or social.

This scholarship serves to recognize individuals who have overcome adversity—such as financial hardship, family difficulties, health issues, or other obstacles—while maintaining a commitment to their education and personal growth. This award values and seeks to emphasize qualities like determination, adaptability, and the ability to rise above difficult circumstances to achieve academic success and contribute to their community.

SCHOLARSHIP PURPOSE

The Resilience Scholarship is a source of financial support and motivational resource for women within Los Angeles County wishing to pursue a college degree or post-secondary certification program. The scholarship seeks to support women and girls whose resilience and determination have overcome considerable hardship. As such, our scholarship funds can subsidize incidentals above and beyond allowable expenses covered by federal and state financial aid.

APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

1. First-time applicants must reside within Los Angeles County.
2. Students must be enrolled in or plan to attend an accredited university, community college or post-secondary certification program and provide proof of enrollment or attendance, including any of the following: current letter of intent to enroll, current enrollment schedule, recent transcripts, or current letter from counselor/program director verifying enrollment.
3. High school seniors (12th graders) must graduate with their high school diploma or GED by June 2025 and attend a university, community college, or vocational/trade school in Fall 2025.
4. Student applicants must have a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA.
5. Students must be enrolled in or taking a minimum of 6 units per term.
6. Prior applicants can reapply and be considered by verifying continued enrollment in an academic or vocational program.
7. Continuous applicants enrolled at a college or university are not required to reside in Los Angeles County while attending their educational institution to be considered.

APPLICATION PACKET

The completed application packet must be submitted by 5:00 PM on March 28, 2025.

A complete application includes:

• Scholarship application
• Two essay statements
• Two letters of recommendation
• Proof of enrollment or attendance (exception: high school seniors will be required to submit proof upon request from Commission Staff after graduation)

APPLICATION SUBMISSION

1. Combine the application and attachments as a single document and submit as a PDF. (https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/online/convert-pdf.html). Links will not be accepted!
2. Each essay must be at least 500 words, must be typed. and in MLA format (https://mlaformat.org/). Essays will be evaluated and scored based on subject matter, grammar, spelling, and sentence structure. Please include information on being a first-generation college student, if applicable. A scoring rubric is defined in the following section below “Scholarship Evaluation and Selection Process”.
3. The letters of recommendation must be addressed to the LACCW Resilience Scholarship and come from a teacher, academic counselor, employer, mentor, clergy/religious leader, and/or a representative from a social service agency. The letters are character references and should address work, volunteer activities, or academic achievement, as well as potential perseverance. Unsigned letters without the author’s contact information and a current date (October 2024 - March 2025) will NOT be considered. Template letters are not recommended.
4. All essays must be the original work of the applicant. All applications are subject to authentication before final selection is made. Any use of artificial intelligence or plagiarism will result in the application being disqualified.
5. Submit application and any inquiries to commission services staff at: laccw@bos.lacounty.gov. If you need assistance with your application, including special accommodations, please call Commission Services at 213-974-1455 from 8am to 5pm Monday – Friday or email them at laccw@bos.lacounty.gov.

SCHOLARSHIP EVALUATION and SELECTION PROCESS

Los Angeles County staff will first review the scholarship applications to determine if an applicant meets the eligibility criteria. Completed Applications received by the deadline, containing all required documents, will be considered by the Education Committee for review and scoring. Applications will be evaluated and scored using the following rubric:

• First Essay Statement: 0 - 40 points
• Second Essay Statement: 0 - 40 points
• Letters of Recommendation: 0 - 20 points (10 points for each letter)

ESSAY SCORING GUIDE

EXCELLENT (30 - 40 PTS): Excellent, comprehensive essay; answering the question thoroughly while using academic language and adhering to all the guidelines listed under the Application Submission section.

STRONG (20 - 29 PTS): Strong essay; answering the question well while using academic language and adhering to most of the guidelines listed under the Application Submission section.

SATISFACTORY (10 - 19 PTS): Satisfactory essay; answering the question somewhat while using limited academic language and minimally adhering to the guidelines listed under the Application Submission section.

POOR (0 - 9 PTS): Poor essay which did not answer the question, did not use academic language at all, and did not adhere to the guidelines listed under the Application Submission section.

Academic language is the specialized language used in academic settings for both written and oral communication including the following:

• Formality: Academic language is formal and avoids casual or conversational language. 
• Sentence structure: Academic language includes varied and polished sentence structures. 
• Grammar: Academic language includes proper grammar, such as the difference between "than" and "then."

Resources:

Grammar Assistance: https://www.grammarly.com/

Online Writing Lab: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION SCORING GUIDE

EXCELLENT (8 - 10 PTS): Excellent recommendation; strengths of applicant are highlighted; relationship and length of time knowing applicant are stated; applicant’s strengths and substantial examples of their qualities are demonstrated.

STRONG (5 - 7 PTS): Strong recommendation; strengths of applicant are highlighted; relationship and length of time knowing applicant are stated; some of applicant’s strengths and examples of their qualities are demonstrated.

SATISFACTORY (2 - 4 PTS): Satisfactory recommendation; some reservations. A few strengths of the applicant are highlighted, and a few examples of their qualities are demonstrated.

POOR (0 - 1 PT): Poor recommendation. No examples are provided; superficial.

SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION

It is possible to receive multiple financial aid sources, including grants, loans, or other scholarships. Some sources of financial aid may place restrictions or limitations on the use of funds. However, the Resilience Scholarship can cover incidental costs that extend above and beyond fees and tuition.

Example of Incidental Costs

• School supplies and equipment
• eBooks, textbook rentals
• Computers, tablets, smart devices, calculators, printers, and educational software
• Eye, Dental or Health Insurance
• Childcare

INFORMATION FOR SELECTED RECIPIENTS

Selected recipients will be required to participate in a virtual orientation and attend the Resilience Scholarship Ceremony presentation of the Scrolls presented by the Board of Supervisors. Prior to issuing the scholarship check, you must be able to provide and show the following documents:

• Valid ID; CA Driver’s license, CA ID, US Passport, Photo ID, or School ID
• Social Security card or ITIN card
• First-time recipients must submit proof of enrollment (class schedule) and first-term grades
• Subsequent recipients must submit most recent term grades and proof of enrollment for next term

˜  APPLICATION MUST BE TYPED  ™

DISTRICT INFORMATION

Before you complete the application, you must identify the district in which you reside. If you are currently away at college, please use the address of your permanent residence to determine your district. Your permanent residence must be located within the boundaries of Los Angeles County for your application to be considered.

To verify your district, please locate your permanent address using the Los Angeles County District Map provided here:

https://planning.lacounty.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/map_t06-cities-zip.pdf

CLICK HERE TO START APPLICATION 

_{After submitting your application you must submit your supplemental documents (Two Letter's of Recommendation) to: lacccw@bos.lacounty.gov)}

We congratulate our past and future Educational Scholarship awardees and wish them all the best in their education endeavors and future careers.  For additional information contact us at laccw@bos.lacounty.gov or by phone at (213) 974-1455.