Papitto Opportunity Connections scholarship foundation has an important question for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) high school students: What would you do if you were given $1,000,000 to make Rhode Island’s BIPOC communities better and stronger? Depending on the answer, three lucky students will receive scholarship money for their unique and inventive responses. Furthermore, the foundation will invest $1,000,000 to make the first place winner’s idea a reality.

“The idea for the Transform R.I. Scholarship was a collaboration. Barbara Papitto, founder of the Papitto Opportunity Connection, developed the idea along with POC trustees John Tarantino and Ed Pieroni. We wanted to provide Rhode Island high school students of color an opportunity to create real change in the their communities – and help them financially at the same time,” wrote Gregg Perry, spokesman for the Papitto Opportunity Connection, in an email interview.

The Papitto Opportunity Connection is a Rhode Island based private foundation dedicated to listening and working with the state’s BIPOC communities. Its mission is to empower and create individual success stories by investing in education, job skills and entrepreneurial ventures.

The foundation’s Transform Rhode Island Scholarship invites Rhode Island’s BIPOC students in grades nine through 12 to apply for scholarship money that will help alleviate the cost of higher education. The top three recipients will receive the following one-time awards: First place $25,000; second place $15,000; third place $10,000. Any student from a public, private and parochial school or actively home-schooled can apply.

According to the Papitto website, college can be expensive and often creates barriers for students who are trying to access higher education. According to RI Kids Count, there is a smaller number of Black or Hispanic high school students attending college than white students. Furthermore, more than 80 percent of Hispanic, Black and Asian students have a gap between their financial needs as compared to the 71 percent of white students who have that need.

Students answering the foundation’s question can respond to the prompt in three ways: one, students can submit an essay up to 1,000 words; two, submit a video no longer than 3 minutes; three, provide a multimedia presentation. Pieces that exceed these specified limits will not be considered.

The judging system will include the foundation’s advisory board that will recommend six to ten finalists who will then be judged by a three-person panel. The most successful applications will have a heavier focus on substance and creativity, rather than writing style or video production skills. Additionally, the works will go through a criteria of originality, feasibility and that the project aligns with the organization’s mission.

“Once the winner is chosen, an appropriate team of people will be put in place and work with the student on developing his/her idea and making it a reality,” Perry wrote.

The scholarship, which became active on Nov. 1, will close Jan. 31, 2021 for students who would still like to apply; winners will be announced on March 15, 2021. To access the scholarship application, students can visit www.pocfoundation.com.

Winners who are not graduating immediately will have their scholarship money placed in an interest-bearing account that they will have access to upon graduation. This award is meant to help with students’ education as a two year or four year accredited college, university, vocational or technical school within the United States. The money may be applied to housing, tuition, and healthcare expenses. However, in the event that a student does not enroll in higher education after graduation, the money can be used for healthcare housing or any other type of qualified assistance. Awards are for one year and are not renewable.

“The Transform R.I. scholarship empowers students of color to have a seat at the table and be part of creating real change in their own communities,” Perry wrote.

There is no fee to apply for the Papitto Opportunity Connections’ Transform scholarship. To learn more about the scholarship, please visit www.pocfoundation.com. Questions can also be directed to info@pocfoundation.com or by calling 401-270-1236.

TRANSFORM RI SCHOLARSHIP: Rhode Island high school students of color are being asked what they would do with $1 million to better the lives of their communities. The winning idea will be funded with $1 million, and the student with the winning idea will receive $25,000. The deadline for submission is Jan. 31. Visit pocfoundation.com to learn more.