Foundation Scholarships

Blugold Promise-Chida

$500 award for first year, second year renewal at $1,000.

Available

The Junaid and Rakhshan Chida Blugold Promise Scholarship shall be awarded to an outstanding incoming freshman student who has graduated from high school in Wisconsin, been accepted for admission to UW-Eau Claire and demonstrates significant financial need as initially reported by the students and verified by the UW-Eau Claire Financial Aid Office. To be considered, students must rank in the top 25% of their graduating classes and have a minimum of a 25 composite on the Act (or comparable SAT), have a well- rounded high school record of academic achievement, leadership and involvement in extracurricular activities. In general a student who has a zest for life and a desire to get the most out of his/her college education will receive primary consideration. Recipients who have a successful freshman year and maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 by the end of their first year will receive a $1,000 scholarship their sophomore year.

To be considered for Incoming Freshman Student Admissions Scholarships, just submit the application for admission. There is no separate application to apply, though demonstration of financial need is required for certain merit-based scholarships. Your application for admission will be considered for all scholarships for which you are eligible. If you have questions, please contact the Admissions Office at (715)836-5415.

The Admissions Office will coordinate the selection process, which is highly competitive. The process is based off of the student’s admissions profile including: transcripts, academic history, list of involvements and essays. These are among the criteria that will be reviewed for scholarship purposes.

Screening of candidates will begin in December for some early awards and continue through the spring or until awards are accepted.

Scholarship award notices will be sent to scholarship recipients by the beginning of April of student’s senior year. If scholarships are declined, they will be re- awarded to alternates through the summer months.

Junaid Chida was born in Pakistan and was very determined to study in the United States. He researched colleges for three years to find one that would offer a scholarship and is forever grateful to UW-Eau Claire for providing him one. Junaid Chida is a 1978 UW-Eau Claire graduate who majored in accounting and went on to complete his law degree from UW-Madison in 1983. He is now a partner at the law firm of Dewey & LeBoeuf in New York City, specializing in corporate law and finance. Junaid and his wife Rakhshan have two children. Junaid feels very privileged to have the opportunities UW-Eau Claire afforded him and now feels passionate about giving back by supporting both international and need-based scholarships. The recipient should write a thank-you letter to Junaid and Rakhshan Chida, in care of the UW-Eau Claire Foundation Office, Schofield 214.