The Jessica Gavin Scholarship Program is awarding $500 scholarships to deserving students who author a winning essay in our bi-annual Essay Contest.

Jessica Gavin is a Certified Food Scientist and Certified Culinary Scientist. She has a passion for educating consumers about the products they eat. As a research scientist, she feels fortunate to advocate for nutritional food and beverage products. Helping others by providing them with education and expertise in the food industry is one of her greatest rewards.

Globally the food industry is incredible, but it could use more exceptional individuals with a passion for advancing the science and technology of food. For Jessica Gavin’s bi-annual scholarship program, we are pleased to support any future professional interested in the food industry.

About the Scholarship

Requirements:

ESSAY TOPIC: Tell us how you intend to use your education to find solutions to the food challenges facing humanity. In a brief narrative, start with an introduction about who you are (your name and school), area of study, and anything else you feel we should know about you. Then, please provide your entry in a 750-1000 words essay.

Judging Criteria:

The scholarship will be awarded to the applicant who best demonstrates a genuine desire and goal of fixing problems or improving conditions in our food supply. Worthy deeds that you have already performed will be considered.

Scholarship Dates and Submission:

When: We are now accepting submissions.

We are now accepting submissions. Where: Please send your story to [email protected]

Please send your story to Spring Deadline: (NOW ACCEPTING) The deadline for submitting essays is December 15, 2020. Winner announced February 1, 2021.

(NOW ACCEPTING) The deadline for submitting essays is December 15, 2020. Winner announced February 1, 2021. Fall Deadline: The deadline for submitting essays is July 15, 2020. Winner announced September 1, 2020.

You may send us your entry either as a link or attachment to your email. Include your name, mobile phone number, and contact information in the email.

General Eligibility

To be eligible for our scholarship contest, you must be a current undergraduate or graduate student enrolled in a science or technology program. Students with full academic scholarships are not eligible to enter this contest.

Proof of enrollment must be provided:

We will accept digital scans of the following as a valid proof of enrollment via email attachment with your application:

Unofficial or Official transcript

Official enrollment verification form

Acceptance letter on school letterhead

Additionally, you must:

Verify you have read and understood the Jessica Gavin Scholarship requirements

Submit a readable copy of your entry (only one entry per student is allowed).

Submit a clear headshot no smaller than 300 pixels (width) of yourself. The image file must be in the following format: .PNG or .JPG.

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

Frequently Asked Questions

Winner Notification:

The winner will be notified by phone, email and/or U.S. mail after the judging has been completed.

Award Distribution:

Each $500 award will be paid to the winner one and half months after the due date. Students must provide proof of enrollment and University identification number prior to disbursement of the award.

Use of Award Monies:

The award winner understands and represents that the scholarship monies will be sent directly to the winner’s school and shall be used only for education-related purposes, such as tuition, books, etc.

Please Note:

Submissions: All content and creative work become the property of Jessica Gavin upon submission and may be reposted or displayed online or through any media channels, in whole or part, without notification. When you send email communications to Jessica Gavin, its agents and/or representatives may retain those communications.

By submitting an application, the applicant grants Jessica Gavin, its agents and/or representatives permission to post the applicant’s name, school or university, applicant’s photo, and the winning entry on the website https://www.jessicagavin.com (Jessica Gavin), and in other marketing platforms, including but not limited to blog, social media accounts, and related sites. The winning applicant also agrees to assist Jessica Gavin and its agents with any tasks that they deem reasonable or necessary to help with the above and other promotional activities.

Past Winners

Ariel Garsow

University of Minnesota (Spring 2017)

Samantha Burroughs

Oregon State University (Fall 2017)

Walaa Hussein

The Ohio State University (Spring 2018)

Alyssa Dougherty

Iowa State University (Fall 2018)

Ayna Arora

The Ohio State University (Spring 2019)

Aaliyah Puglia

Johnson & Wales University (Fall 2019)

Jonathan Brumley

University of Idaho (Spring 2020)

Christopher Goh

University of Pennsylvania (Fall 2020)

More Resources

The Jessica Gavin Scholarship Program is committed to aiding as many students as we can. However, due to the number of applications and our limited resources, we are only able to award two scholarships per year. To aid in the quest for financial aid, we are sharing the following list of scholarship resources.

Please note the deadlines and eligibility requirements. We wish all students the best as they endeavor to continue their educations.

www.finaid.org – links to: scholarships, grants, loans, graduate aid

www.studentaid.ed.gov – information from the U.S. Department of Education on preparing for and funding education beyond high school

www.collegeaffordabilityguide.org – this site’s mission is to provide clear, correct info and advice on the many options students have to reduce the cost of their degree, and to offer a fresh analysis of which colleges are doing the most to make high-quality education affordable

www.ift.org – The Institute of Food Technologists offers the most extensive Food Science resources for students and professionals. The site promotes several scholarships for students pursuing food science degrees.

Contact Us

For information regarding our scholarship programs, please use the specific contact information listed below.

Jessica Gavin Scholarship Program

8502 E. Chapman Ave, #235

Orange, CA 92869

[email protected]