SAFENA 2026 Scholarship Application

Thank you for your interest in applying for the Syrian Americans for Educational Needs and Advancement (SAFENA) 2026 Scholarship. The SAFENA Scholarship seeks to reward the achievements of graduating (high school) seniors and college students (undergraduate/graduate). SAFENA is looking for individuals who have combined academic excellence with a commitment to supporting the Syrian American community and heritage.

Deadline to submit this application (including all application materials) is April 30, 2026 11:59 P.M. Pacific Time (PT)

Applicant Information

As a part of the eligibility requirements, applicants must have at least one parent who is Syrian or Syrian-American.

Educational Background

Extracurricular Involvement

Essay Responses

You will have 4 prompts to choose from. The questions you choose are entirely up to you. You must respond to only 2 of the 4 questions. Each response is limited to a maximum of 400 words.

Here are the prompts:

1. Please describe your projected career goals. What inspired you to pursue your chosen field of study?

2. Describe a time you made a meaningful positive impact at school or in your community. What changed for others, what did you learn, and how will you use those skills to support the Syrian American community?

3. Please describe how you have shown your leadership skills in a team setting. What did you learn about yourself from this experience? What did you learn about others?

4. Please share a personal or non-academic experience that challenged you and demonstrated your resilience. How did you overcome this challenge, and what did you learn from this experience?

Letters of Recommendation

Please submit between one (1) and three (3) letters of recommendation (professional, academic, or personal). The sources must not be from relatives or significant others. Letters of recommendation should be sent directly from the writer to the email: scholarship@safena.org. These letters must be received by April 30, 2026.

I will submit, or have submitted, between one (1) and three (3) letters of recommendation (professional, academic, or personal). The sources are not my relatives or significant other. The letters will come from the person making the recommendation and directly sent to scholarship@safena.org *

These letters must be received by April 30, 2026.

Informed Consent

By typing my full name and signing below, I give SAFENA permission to use my name in its promotional materials and publicity efforts. I understand that my name may be used in a publication, social media post, print ad, direct mail piece, or other form of promotion.