Scholarships
About the Scholarship
We believe in rewarding hard work and helping develop the dreams of our youth; that’s why the Jack Maddox Distinguished Scholarship program awards scholarships each year to Lea County high school students. Our merit-based scholarships help students think big when it comes to planning for their future. The scholarships are much more than just financial assistance; this process helps prepare students for the college application process, including access to a professional college counselor, who will help them navigate the collegiate waters of admission, financial aid, and preparing for their future.
Jack Maddox Distinguished Scholar
Each year, the JF Maddox Foundation awards one Jack Maddox Distinguished Scholarship, which covers the costs of undergraduate tuition, required texts, fees, and room & board to the nonprofit accredited school of the scholars choice in the continental United States.
Jack Maddox Scholars
$20,000 Scholarship
Each year, the JF Maddox Foundation awards four Maddox Scholarships which provide $20,000 ($5,000 per year for four years) each for undergraduate study at the nonprofit accredited school of each scholar’s choice in the continental United States. In addition, the Foundation has partnered with the following schools to match these four Maddox Scholarships for any Scholar choosing to attend their university: Hardin-Simmons University, McMurry University, New Mexico State University, Rice University, University of the Southwest, University of New Mexico, Texas Tech University, and Texas Christian University.
Jack Maddox Scholarship Semifinalists
Beginning in 2023, the JF Maddox Foundation will award $5,000 to each of the 15 Jack Maddox Scholarship semifinalists, as a one-time award paid directly to the nonprofit accredited school of each semifinalists’ choice in the continental United States for their undergraduate studies.
Associated Institutions
The following universities match our Four Maddox Scholarships dollar-for-dollar.
Hardin-Simmons University
(Abilene, TX)
McMurry University
(Abilene, TX)
New Mexico State University
(Las Cruces, NM)
Rice University
(Houston, TX)
University of the Southwest
(Hobbs, NM)
University of New Mexico
(Albuquerque, NM)
Texas Tech University
(Lubbock, TX)
Texas Christian University
(Fort Worth, TX)
Eligibility Information
Applicants must satisfy the following requirements in order to be eligible for the Jack Maddox Distinguished Scholarship:
- Be a high school junior going into their senior year at the time of application deadline (June 30) in Lea County, New Mexico
- Be a resident of Lea County for two complete and consecutive academic years prior to applying (i.e., entire sophomore year through entire junior year)
- Continue to be a Lea County resident through graduation from high school
- Be a U.S. citizen; either natural-born U.S. citizen or naturalized U.S. citizen
Applicants for the Scholarship will be reviewed without regard to applicant’s race, gender, religion, physical condition, or national origin.
Dependents or family members of a director, officer, or employee of the JF Maddox Foundation; and dependents or family members of the Selection Committee are not eligible.
How to Apply
Only the information contained in the application and the specified components will be provided to the Selection Committee for consideration.
All components of the application must be received by June 30, otherwise, the applicant will not be considered. Please consider this deadline when requesting transcripts and requesting teacher evaluations and personal recommendations. It is imperative that applicants allow enough time for the Foundation to receive all required documents by the above deadline.
Should the applicant be selected to interview with the Selection Committee, it is anticipated the interviews will be held late July to early August. All interviews will be conducted on the same day, without exception.
Checklist of Application Components:
- Completed application
- Copy of birth certificate or certificate of citizenship
- Copy of ACT/SAT assessment report
- Transcripts from all schools attended grades 9 – 11*
- Class rank*
- Senior class schedule*
- Two (2) teacher evaluations – see application for form details
- One (1) personal recommendation – see application for form details
- Personal essay
- Creative essay
* Denotes official forms that must be requested by applicant and sent directly to the Foundation from the school.
Contact
We know that applying for scholarships can be challenging. Our Scholarship Coordinator, Sarah Anderson, is available to help you navigate the application process. Please do not hesitate to call or email Sarah with your questions.
Application Help for Students
We know that you may have questions when applying to the Jack Maddox Distinguished Scholarship Program. We have assembled a list of frequently asked questions to help make this process easier for you to navigate.
Application Help for Parents
Supporting your student through the college scholarship application process can be a daunting task. We hope the following resources are helpful to you as you guide your student through the process.
Helpful Links
ACT Testing:
https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act.html
SAT Testing:
https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/register/dates-deadlines
Scholarship Search:
https://www.scholarships.com/
NM Lottery Scholarship:
http://www.hed.state.nm.us/students/lotteryscholarship.aspx
Federal Student Aid:
https://www.uaspire.org/For-Students
Active Minds:
https://www.activeminds.org/
College Planning Timeline:
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-in/applying-101/timeline-12-grade
Help for Recommenders
Recommendations are critical to the success of the Jack Maddox Distinguished Scholarship Program. In a merit-based scholarship program, where student performance in the classroom and on standardized tests can be indistinguishable from one student to the next, the scholarship selection committee relies on teachers and family friends to paint a complete picture of a student.
Teacher recommendations provide the committee with insight into how a student performs in an academic class setting, while a family friend can provide insight into how a student has conducted his or her life outside of the classroom. These insights are crucial to the selection process, which is why the scholarship program requires the teacher recommendations to come from a teacher who has taught the student in an academic course (English, history, math, or science), and the family friend recommendation to come from an adult who has known the student for at least five years.
The recommendation process is a confidential one, meaning that all recommendations go directly to the selection committee and are not shared with the student. We hope that this process allows you to be candid with the committee about the student, inside and outside of the classroom.
We are incredibly grateful to you for taking the time every year to provide a valuable service to the scholarship selection process.
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