The Brenda Loomis “Hello My Friend” Memorial Scholarship provides financial support to bilingual students from Arizona who demonstrate academic excellence and a desire to make a meaningful contribution to society.
The “Hello My Friend” memorial scholarship fund was established in memory of a valued early childhood education community member, Brenda Loomis. Upon her passing in 2012, at the age of 42, the Brenda Loomis scholarship was established. This scholarship provides funds to help college students with limited financial resources achieve high academic goals and become an advocate both in and out of the early childhood classroom in southern Arizona. The scholarship is managed by the Southern Arizona Association for Education of Young Children (SAZAEYC), a nonprofit organization to which Brenda was highly dedicated.
This scholarship honors Brenda’s life as an advocate for young children. It will provide financial assistance to a member or members of SAZAEYC in continuing their education towards an AA, BA, or MA degree. The criteria of the scholarship include the following:
- commitment to the Early Care and Education profession
- academic excellence
- exemplary citizenship
- financial need
APPLICATION PROCESS
Applications may start to be submitted in March of the current calendar year, with applications closing April 3rd, 2025. Elected members of the board will review applications. They will notify the awarded person by the end of April with the presentation of the scholarship occurring at the SAZAEYC Annual Awards Brunch on the first Saturday in May.
BASIC ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible, a student must be:
- Working in the field of early childhood education
- Demonstrate a financial need
- In good academic standing with their institute of higher education or eligible to enroll in a higher education institution
- From at least one of the following ethnicities: African-American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian & Pacific Islander American, and/or Hispanic American
IDEAL CANDIDATE
An ideal candidate will have the following:
- An outstanding academic record
- Demonstrated leadership ability and community engagement (e.g., as shown through participation in community service, extracurricular, or other activities)
- Exceptional personal success skills (e.g., emotional maturity, motivation, perseverance, etc.)
- Bilingual
- Passionate about continuing to serve children in a social justice way and supporting the communities of color, particularly the Latina/o/x community
SCHOLARSHIP AWARD
Scholars will receive $500 toward academic costs, which may include:
- tuition
- textbooks and/or materials
- room and board
The recipient of this scholarship will be invited to participate in the early childhood education professional community by attending any SAZAEYC board meetings and/or serving on local AEYC committees. The recipient will also be invited to attend the annual conference and encouraged to be involved in the event.
Applications must be submitted via this google form
online by Thursday, April 3, 2025.
- For questions regarding this resource, please contact Southern Arizona Association for the Education of Young Children (SAZAEYC).
- Contact Name: Becka Lopez
- Phone No: 520-904-3951
- Email Address: nominationsandawards@sazaeyc.org