Meet Our Citizen Scholars
At UVM, students are encouraged to consider how they will have a positive impact on their communities today, and in the future. We know that high schoolers are the future change agents of the world, and we can't wait to see how the next generation of students will impact our community.
Our Citizen Scholar Book Award recipients have:
- Attended ACLU conferences
- Spearheaded sustainable development initiatives
- Participated in The March for Our Lives
- Inspired school-wide conversations on diversity & inclusion
- Volunteered with local & national political campaigns
And the list of their accomplishments keeps growing!
Award Benefits
Students selected as a Citizen Scholar will become a member of a cohort group of student leaders. Each Citizen Scholar will be presented with a congratulatory letter recognizing their accomplishments within their schools and their communities. Scholars will also be gifted a book which speaks to the themes of citizen engagement, the power of individual voices and the importance of democracy. Previous selections have included The Handmaid’s Tale, which sheds light on the horrors that ensue when democratic values disappear; Watch Us Rise, a YA novel about two young women in high school on a mission to have their voices heard; Motherland, which explores complicity and innocence during the Third Reich; and As Long As Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock.
If a Citizen Scholar chooses to apply to UVM they will receive:
- Priority consideration for UVM's top merit scholarships
- Priority consideration for admission to the Honors College
- Application fee waiver ($55)
Nominate A Student
The nomination period for the 2024 Citizen Scholar Book Award will run January 1, 2024–March 1, 2024. A nomination does not guarantee an award. Late or incomplete nominations will not be considered. Recipients and their counselors will be notified in April 2024. Please, only one nomination per high school. Nominations are made by school counselors for students that meet the following criteria: Nominees must be in eleventh grade, have earned a 3.5 cumulative GPA in a rigorous college preparatory curriculum and have made a contribution to their school or community in some way. Affiliation or interest in UVM is not a condition of the award.