2026 Collegiate Scholarship

Los Isleños Heritage and Cultural Society of St. Bernard offers two (2) $1,000 Collegiate Scholarships to the descendants of Isleños who founded St. Bernard Parish. The award of these scholarships is predicated on the composition of essays entitled What My Isleño Heritage Means to Me. These scholarships shall be awarded during the July 2026 membership meeting of Los Isleños Heritage and Cultural Society of St. Bernard.

Purpose

The Collegiate Scholarship is intended for high school students entering a course of study at a college or university. This award shall be used to cover the expenses related to entering said course of study.

Submission Requirements

1. Applicant must be a projected high school graduate from a school located in one of the following Louisiana parishes: St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Orleans, Jefferson, St. Charles, St. Tammany, or Tangipahoa.
2. Applicant must be of Isleño descent from St. Bernard Parish. This means that one or more of his/her direct ancestors must have been colonists from the Canary Islands who settled in St. Bernard Parish between 1779 and 1783.
3. Applicant must complete the Collegiate Scholarship Application Form below.
4. Applicant must author an original essay entitled “What My Isleño Heritage Means to Me.” This essay must be written in English and must be between 490 and 510 words. The application shall be disqualified if identifying information such as the name of the author, family names, or names of family members appear in the essay. Plagiarism shall not be tolerated. This essay must be attached to the application.
5. Applicant must attach his/her academic transcript to the Scholarship Application Form below. The transcript must record academic progress at least to the first semester of 12^th grade and must report at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA.

Submission Deadline

Submissions must be completed on or before March 31, 2026.

Judging Process

The Scholarship Committee of Los Isleños Heritage and Cultural Society of St. Bernard shall retain applications and scholarships. To preserve anonymity, the authors’ names shall not appear on essays. The Scholarship Committee shall identify essays with a unique number associated with his/her application. Applicants are limited to only one (1) application to Collegiate Scholarship.

An impartial panel of judges from the St. Bernard Parish School Board shall select the two (2) winning essays from those submitted to the Society on or before the submission deadline. The two (2) winners shall then be notified by the Society. Any interference in the judging process shall result in immediate disqualification from the scholarship.

Physical Application

A physical version of the Collegiate Scholarship Application is also available for applicants: 2026 Collegiate Scholarship Instructions and Application Form.