Philip A. Czachowski Memorial Scholarship
The Philip Czachowski Memorial Scholarship was established by Philip’s family in 1998. Had he not passed away from cancer at the age of 5, Philip would have walked the stage at graduation that spring with the Pleasant Valley High School class of 1998. Despite his young age while alive, Philip had an undeniable passion for books and spent countless hours reading Dr. Seuss, The Bernstein Bears, and especially Sesame Street where he developed a special love for the character Big Bird. This love for books allowed Philip to be able to experience things that he would never live to be able to do as he spent endless hours inside hospital walls. Philip could travel to far away places, learned to laugh and cry with his reading buddies, and have the same adventures as any other child could have.
This love for reading created in Philip, an excitement for starting kindergarten at Cody Elementary. While he was never able to attain that aspiration, he still had the same dreams as most 5 year olds, he wanted to ride the bus to school, to play soccer, to be able to run fast, to find the end of a rainbow, to paint and draw, and to get into trouble. Although Philip was often unable to reach these simple dreams, he was blessed to be surrounded by a strong community, loving family, friends, and dedicated volunteers and medical personnel throughout his illness. These individuals helped Philip’s short life become as full as it could be as they provided love and support, helped fuel his imagination and nurtured his love for books that he cherished so deeply.
Within one of the many books Philip so dearly loved was a message from Dr. Seuss that simply said, “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened,” and it was this saying, above all things, that captured Philip’s life. The constant grin planted on Philip’s face and his undeniable optimism towards even the most difficult of times, left all who met him smiling even after his untimely death. It is this optimism, love of life, and desire to help others that are qualities we look for when awarding the scholarship.
Criteria to Apply:
- Be a graduating senior of PVHS
- Must have maintained a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 after seven semesters of high school
- Plan to attend a two-year or four-year college or vocational school upon graduation
- Demonstrated the desire to achieve his or her full potential
- Shown involvement in community, church, and school activities
- A personal interview will be required of finalists
- This scholarship is a tuition scholarship and will be paid directly to the institution
- The scholarship amount of $2,000 will be granted over a four-year period, in the amount of $500.00 per year
- Recipients attending a two-year college will receive $1,000.00, granted in the amount of $500.00 per year
- To retain eligibility for the scholarship, the recipient will maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale
Scholarship Personal Statement/Essay:
- What is the greatest gift your parents have given you?
- Explain how a piece of literature/music has influenced your life.
- What characteristics of your best friend do you admire the most?
- Describe what you think your life will be like six years from now.
- In less than 250 words (1700 characters), please tell us why you've chosen your field of study.
- In less than 250 words (1700 characters), please tell us what your plans are after your post-secondary education is complete.
- In less than 250 words (1700 characters), please tell us about one of the following: your ability to problem solve, work with others, and/or your dedication to the community.
- In less than 250 words (1700 characters), please tell us how you've overcome an obstacle.
- In less than 250 words (1700 characters), please tell us anything else about yourself you think the selection committee would like to know.