The John Wright Memorial Scholarship funds one student scholarship per year. This scholarship was established at the TREE Fund by Wright Tree Service in honor and memory of its founder, John L. Wright, and his son, John R. Wright. Learn more about Wright Tree Service and the founding family here.
The purpose of this one-year scholarship is to support the arboriculture industry by helping college students interested in commercial arboriculture achieve high academic goals without accumulating burdensome debt.
Applicants must be high school seniors entering college or community college or returning college students seeking a first bachelor’s degree or associates degree while attending an accredited US college or university. All applicants must plan to enter the commercial arboriculture industry. Special consideration will be given for honorably discharged veterans and present members of the United States Armed Forces, Reserves and National Guard.
One $5,000 scholarship will be awarded annually, to be paid in two increments, one in the fall semester, one in the spring (second payment is contingent upon re-enrollment and GPA standards being met). The award is non-renewable but can be applied for annually. All awards will be paid directly to the educational institution attended by the recipient. Awards may only be applied to tuition expense, and applicants may not request scholarships greater than the anticipated amount of their tuition expense for the academic year in which the grants will be paid.
All of the following criteria must be met to qualify:
- Pursuing a career in the commercial arboriculture industry
- Entering or returning student at an accredited undergraduate institution in the United States
- 3.0 GPA minimum
- United States citizen
- Employed at least part-time
APPLICATION PROCESS
The TREE Fund will accept applications only between January 15 and March 15, each year. To apply, send an email containing a brief (no more than 100 words) introduction of yourself (e.g., name, school, year, expected graduation date, and applicable work information) to education@treefund.org. The TREE Fund staff will confirm eligibility for consideration, and if you qualify, will send you a numbered application form for your use. You may apply for more than one TREE Fund scholarship on a single application form.
Upon completion of this application form, you will save a Word version for your records, then create a PDF version of the completed document with title in the format “Your Surname, Scholarship Program, Application Number” (e.g., “Smith, Wright, #20-023”), and email it as an attachment to education@treefund.org with a PDF of your reference letters (two required), and your academic transcript. Staff will confirm receipt of your application at that time.
Applicants will need the following information to complete the form. (Note: Word count limits are firm. Exceeding word counts may result in your application being rejected before review. Applicants should compose their text in Word or related systems that allow counts to be confirmed before they are placed in the application form.)
- Educational standing and enrollment status
- History of scholarships and extracurricular activities
- Essay describing your reasons for pursuing your chosen career, your goals and objectives, and why you should be chosen for this scholarship (maximum 1000 words)
- Current transcript
- Two letters of recommendation or contact information for people who will provide them (one must be from your academic advisor)
CRITERIA FOR SELECTION
The TREE Fund and Wright Tree Service are particularly interested in having its scholarship recipients begin and remain in careers in arboriculture, urban forestry, or related green industries. Applicant essays should provide the TREE Fund with a sense of the student’s career aspirations and plans within these industries, and academic, work and extracurricular activities should reflect commitment toward this goal.
Applications will be evaluated by the TREE Fund’s Education Committee. Members of this committee will rate applications using the following rubric:
- Cumulative GPA: 20 points
- Essay: 30 points
- Advisor letter of recommendation: 20 points
- Second letter of recommendation: 15 points
- Potential for continuing career in arboriculture, urban forestry, or related fields: 15 points
- Total Maximum Possible Score: 100 points.
Recommendations on scholarship awards will be presented to the TREE Fund Board of Trustees in May, each year, and will be announced within two weeks of their decision.
The TREE Fund does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, gender, sexual orientation, disability or national or ethnic origin. Current trustees of the TREE Fund or any member of the family of any such trustee are ineligible to receive scholarships from the TREE Fund.
AWARD NOTIFICATION AND FUND DISTRIBUTION
Recipients will be notified within two weeks of the TREE Fund Board of Trustees’ award decision. The award letter will include instructions on submitting acceptance information for the scholarship award.
Upon TREE Fund’s receipt of the acceptance information, the first ($2,500) scholarship payment will be made to the institution.