Women LEAD Scholarship Program

Program Status: Active Signature Project (11th annual as of 2024)

Award Amount:

• First place: $15,000
• Second place: $10,000
• Third place: $5,000
• Fourth place: $3,000
• Fifth place: $2,000
• Honorable mention (5 scholarships): $1,000 each
• Total distributed: $40,000 annually

Full Name: Women LEAD (Learn. Excel. Achieve. Dream.)

Geographic Scope: Dallas, Texas - limited to three high schools

Eligible Applicants:

• Female high school seniors
• Students from the following Dallas ISD schools:
  • Emmett J. Conrad High School
  • Thomas Jefferson High School
  • South Oak Cliff High School
• College-bound (pursuing higher education)

Program Purpose:

• Assist female high school students in pursuing their dreams of higher education
• Create opportunities for future women leaders

Program History:

• Since inception, JLD has awarded 82+ scholarships totaling $385,000+
• 2023-2024: Awarded $40,000 to 10 finalists from 26 applicants
• 2022-2023: Awarded $40,000 to 10 finalists from 20 applicants

Selection Criteria:

• Academic performance
• Resume
• Letters of recommendation
• Transcript
• Essay/written application
• Speech presentation/oratory

Selection Process:

• Top 10 ranked finalists selected from all applicants
• Oratory competition with speeches on leadership prompt
• Judged by community leaders and JLD members
• Winners ranked based on application merit and speech quality

Program Support:

• JLD members hold workshops at schools (October) for application review
• Public speaking workshops held for finalists (February)
• Awards ceremony held in March
• Presenting Sponsor: The Ryan Foundation

Junior League of Dallas
8003 Inwood Rd.

Application Process

Timeline:

• October: Application and program overview workshops held at three participating high schools
• Early February: Finalists selected from all applicants
• February: Public speaking/oratory workshops held for finalists
• March: Awards ceremony and speech competition

Application Materials Required:

• Resume
• High school transcript
• Letters of recommendation
• Essay (topic varies annually)
• Speech presentation (prepared on given prompt)

Example Oratory Prompts:

• Leadership qualities and what makes a strong leader
• Difficult decisions and mental health priorities

Selection Criteria Scoring:

• Academic performance
• Resume quality
• Letters of recommendation
• Transcript grades
• Essay quality
• Speech presentation quality and delivery

Finalists:

• Top 10 ranked applicants invited to present speeches
• Final judging based on application merit + speech performance
• Winners ranked 1st through 5th place with honorable mentions

For Application Details:
Contact Junior League of Dallas
Phone: 214-357-8822
Website: jldallas.org