Awards & Scholarships
Questions or comments regarding the scholarship application process? Email community.engagement@uc.edu.
Ms. Patricia Stewart Adams Bearcat Buddies Award
Mrs. Stewart-Adams is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati, where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree of Science and a Master’s Degree of Education. Patricia has 45 years of educational experience working with a diverse population of students in the inner city. She began her educational career as a third grade teacher in the Mount Healthy City School District. She soon became a Reading Specialist and worked with students and schools to close the achievement gap in reading. Patricia spent two years as an Assistant Principal at Eastern Hills Elementary School followed by 12 years as the Principal at Heberle Elementary School, the largest elementary school in Cincinnati Public Schools. Patricia also spent time as an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati leading others to become school administrators.
Patricia’s passion to see low-income students become successful, led her to the Executive Director position at GRAD Cincinnati. GRAD Cincinnati’s mission is to raise expectations and achievement for all students by building high impact partnerships within the community to provide a premiere college readiness, access and support program. The organization works with teachers, parents, principals, colleges, universities and Cincinnati Public Schools to provide over 3,500 students with resources they need to achieve academically, graduate from high school and enroll in college.
During Patricia's time at UC, she made great contributions to Bearcat Buddies, and the program would not exist without her guidance and mentorship. This award is named in her honor.
- Enrolled at the University of Cincinnati (full-time)
- Undergraduate only
- Must be a second year student or above (first year students are encouraged to apply next year!)
- Must be currently enrolled and in good standing with the Bearcat Buddies program
- Must have two semesters of experience in the Bearcat Buddies program
- 3.0 minimum GPA
- All majors are encouraged to apply
- First and last name.
- Year of study and expected graduation year
- Number of semesters you have tutored with Bearcat Buddies
- A current resume in PDF format.
- A professional headshot. If you do not have a professional headshot, you can get one taken for free on campus at the UC Career Studio.
- A screenshot or downloaded file showing the previous Fall semester's grades and overall university GPA.
- If you were not enrolled in classes in the previous Fall semester, please substitute your most recent semester's grades.
- Unofficial transcript (screenshot or download from Catalyst) is acceptable. Official transcripts are not expected.
- Uploaded responses to three short essay prompts (200-250 words/question)
- The Ms. Patricia Stewart-Adams Bearcat Buddies Scholarship is designed to go to a student who goes above and beyond program requirements. Please describe the ways you believe you have exceeded the minimum requirements and how these efforts have contributed to the program?
- What are your career goals? How will your experience in Bearcat Buddies influence your achievement of these future goals?
- Bearcat Buddies allows college students to engage in relationships across different ages, race, and socioeconomic status as a starting point to dispel stereotypes. How has your experience in Bearcat Buddies helped you to see through stereotypes that often accompany the students we serve?
- Completion of two recommendation forms by one community member and one Bearcat Buddies peer of your choosing.
- You will be asked to send the link to the recommendation form at the end of the award application.
The application period for the 2023 scholarship has ended. Please check back in spring 2024 for updates.
- In your essay responses, include specific examples of service you performed, who or what benefited or changed as a result of your service, what impact you made, and the impact the experience had on you. Do so in a way that is not a laundry list of tasks, but tells a story of your experience.
- Recommendations from a community agency representatives or members outside of the university community are preferred to recommendations from individuals within the university.
Civic Engagement & Social Change Scholarship
The Civic Engagement & Social Change Scholarship is awarded to UC undergrads who have demonstrated their dedication to civic engagement and social change. This may include electoral engagement, and/or advancing the quality of life for marginalized people.
- Enrolled at the University of Cincinnati (full-time)
- Undergraduate only
- Must be a second year student or above (first year students are encouraged to apply next year!)
- 3.0 minimum GPA
- All majors are encouraged to apply
- First and last name.
- Year of study and expected graduation year.
- A current resume in PDF format.
- A professional headshot. If you do not have a professional headshot, you can get one taken for free on campus at the UC Career Studio.
- A screenshot or downloaded file showing the previous Fall semester's grades and overall university GPA.
- If you were not enrolled in classes in the previous Fall semester, please substitute your most recent semester's grades.
- Unofficial transcript (screenshot or download from Catalyst) is acceptable. Official transcripts are not expected.
- Uploaded responses to three short essay prompts (200-250 words/question)
- Give your personal definition of civic engagement, and provide an example of how civic engagement manifests in your life.
- How does civic engagement relate to social change?
- Give an example of how you demonstrate innovation, inclusion, or impact in your service to others.
- Completion of a recommendation form by an individual of your choosing.
- You will be asked to send the link to the recommendation form at the end of the award application.
The application period for the 2023 scholarship has ended. Please check back in spring 2024 for updates.
- In your essay responses, include specific examples of service you performed, who or what benefited or changed as a result of your service, what impact you made, and the impact the experience had on you. Do so in a way that is not a laundry list of tasks, but tells a story of your experience.
- Do not frame essay strictly from a deficit view; it is important to recognize and acknowledge possible differences between yourself and the community you are serving, but do so in a way that is respectful of that population.
- Recommendations from a community agency representatives or members outside of the university community are preferred to recommendations from individuals within the university.
Annie Fitzgerald Award for Leadership and Service
The Annie Fitzgerald Award for Leadership and Service is awarded each year to University of Cincinnati undergraduate students who have shown leadership and possess a passion for service. Students who apply for the award must be actively participating in some form of community engagement and/or service to qualify for this award.
Two scholarships of $1,000 will be awarded one in each of the following categories:
- Rising Star award
An emerging service or community leader entering their 2nd or 3rd year
- Achievement award
A student who shows commitment to leadership and service focused on a particular project, area, community partner, group or issue entering their 4th or final academic year
The award can be applied to one semester or spread out over consecutive semesters.
- Enrolled at the University of Cincinnati (full-time)
- Undergraduate only
- Must be a second year student or above (first year students are encouraged to apply next year!)
- Must be actively participating in some form of community engagement and/or service
- 3.0 minimum GPA
- All majors are encouraged to apply
The digital application is to be submitted via Microsoft Forms. The application includes:
- First and last name.
- Indication of which award you are applying to
- The Rising Star award goes to a student who will be entering their 2nd or 3rd year. The Achievement award goes to a student who will be entering their 4th or final year.
- Year of study and expected graduation year.
- A current resume in PDF format.
- A professional headshot. If you do not have a professional headshot, you can get one taken for free on campus at the UC Career Studio.
- Uploaded responses to three short essay prompts (200-250 words/question)
- Provide examples of your service during your time at the University of Cincinnati. How have your service experiences helped others? Do you feel like you have made a difference?
- How has service strengthened your leadership skills? How do you believe your service experiences will impact you in your future leadership roles?
- Give an example of how you demonstrate innovation, inclusion, or impact in your service to others.
- Completion of a recommendation form by an individual of your choosing.
- You will be asked to send the link to the recommendation form at the end of the award application.
The application period for the 2023 scholarship has ended. Please check back in spring 2024 for updates.
- Indicate which award (Rising Star or Achievement Award) you are applying for on your essay.
- In your essay responses, include specific examples of service you performed, who or what benefited or changed as a result of your service, what impact you made, and the impact the experience had on you. Do so in a way that is not a laundry list of tasks, but tells a story of your experience.
- Do not frame essay strictly from a deficit view; it is important to recognize and acknowledge possible differences between yourself and the community you are serving, but do so in a way that is respectful of that population.
- Recommendations from a community agency representatives or members outside of the university community are preferred to recommendations from individuals within the university.
2023 Recipients
Lisa Harris
3rd Year, Speech Language and Hearing Sciences.
Ms. Patricia Stewart-Adams Bearcat Buddies Scholarship
Lisa is a rising 3rd year student majoring in Speech Language and Hearing Sciences. She has tutored in Bearcat Buddies for four semesters and currently serves on the Social Media Lead Tutor Subcommittee.
Maya Goertemoeller
4th Year, Medical Sciences
Civic Engagement & Social Change Award
Maya is a rising fourth-year majoring in Medical Sciences with a minor in psychology, integrative health, and wellness. She volunteers with 1N5, a mental health nonprofit where she has incorporated eating disorder prevention into youth programming.
Ashley Bruner
3rd Year, Psychology
Achievement Award
Ashley is a rising fourth year studying Psychology and minoring in English, Women's Gender & Sexuality Studies, Global Health, and Medical Humanities. Among others, Ashley actively participates in Bearcat Buddies, Psychology Club, & Psi Chi.
Perry Li
3rd Year, Medical Sciences
Rising Star Award
Perry is a rising 3rd year medical sciences student from Algonquin, IL. He has been heavily involved in GlobemedatUC, RefugeUC, and Bearcat Buddies with a passion for improving public health education outcomes and literacy for refuge students.
Past Recipients: Annie Fitzgerald Award
2022 Recipients
Simhya Karthikeyan
2nd Year, Medical Sciences
Rising Star Award
"Reflecting on Annie Fitzgerald’s quote, I resonate with her passion for service. To me, her quote extends the importance of solidarity as an ongoing process, and that is also a commitment to sustainability in the work that I do."
Andrea Szep
4th Year, Medical Sciences
Achievement Award
"To me, Annie’s quote symbolizes layers of service that are intertwined with developing as a leader. It represents selflessness on all levels, from giving something as small as a meal to improving something as large as an entire environment."
2021 Recipients
Daniel Posmik
4th Year, Business Economics
Achievement Award
" For me, making the world a better place means promoting that thought as an activist. It means telling the story of inequality by recognizing the intersectionality of identities and their respective struggles."
Adam Elzarka
3rd Year, Medical Sciences
Rising Star Award
" Through my involvement, I have not only been able to learn and build relationships with students who come from different backgrounds, but also experience challenges that I have never faced before.."
2020 Recipients
Gerald Crosby
4th Year, Interdisciplinary Studies
Achievement Award
" All these experiences have changed my perspective about service. I became a leader and a voice for my community. I have learned a lot about myself and the biggest lesson that I learned was that everyone has something to offer the world."
Maria Bobrowski-Artola
3rd Year, Public Health & Policy
Rising Star Award
"The makeup of my identity as a Mexican immigrant as well as analyzing my privilege has inspired a perspective that allows me to navigate advocacy and service for meaningful social change."
2019 Recipients
Ellena Privitera
4th Year, Medical Sciences
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
"My service showed me how inadequacies in our healthcare and social service agencies let people 'fall through the cracks.' I now see myself as a system-breaker, hoping to use my career in healthcare to engage professionals with their communities."
Rishi Mehta
2nd Year, Medical Sciences
Hometown: Mason, OH
"It is through a combination of service and unexpected leadership opportunities that I have come to learn about my leadership style, which is referred to as 'servant leadership.'”
2018 Recipients
Rickey Terrel
5th year, Chemical Engineering
Hometown: Mason, OH
"In the Spring of 2015 I began developing the Hughes High School Science Fair Program. I wanted to create an opportunity for high school students to both explore their scientific interests and create meaningful relationships with STEM majors at UC."
Caroline Lembright
3rd year, Political Science and International Affairs
Hometown: Fort Thomas, KY
"My volunteer work changed the trajectory of my college career. In the classroom I learn the ways systems of government function; however, it is through my volunteer work that I see how these systems shape the lives of everyday people."