Diamond in the Rough – ISTS Programs

Welcome and thank you for your interest in the Paula E. Waters – Diamond In The Rough Scholarship Program!

The Paula E. Waters – Diamond in the Rough Fund is dedicated to providing educational assistance for deserving senior high school African-American male students from selected schools who plan to continue education at a two-or four year college, university or vocational-technical school. Scholarships are offered each year for full-time study at an accredited institution of the student’s choice.

Considering a two-year program? Here are just a few of the benefits:

Professional certificates
Personalized attention
General education requirements
Less expensive
Groundwork for continuing education
In-demand skilled trade careers

We encourage you to review this website for in-depth information about the scholarship program, as well as helpful student resources like life advice from actor Denzel Washington and tips on retiring with a million dollars from CNBC.

History

Founded in 2004, Paula E. Waters-Diamond In The Rough Scholarship Fund (PaulaWaters-DITR) is an organization dedicated to providing financial assistance to deserving African-American male youth. The organization established the scholarship program and designed it to reward disadvantaged African-American male high school students who have potential and desire to further their education and who may otherwise find college or vocational-technical school unaffordable.

Click here to read more about President and Founder, Paula E. Waters.

The scholarship program is currently administered by International Scholarship and Tuition Services, Inc. (ISTS), an independent scholarship management company based in Nashville, TN.

Eligibility

Applicants must meet all of the following requirements:

Be a high school senior.
Be an African-American male.
Have a cumulative GPA between 2.0 and 2.99 (un-weighted, based on a 4-point scale).
Be enrolled or plan to enroll in an approved trade-related program at an accredited four-year or two-year college, vocational, or technical school, or other approved technical institute in the United States.
Be a student of:
- Any public or charter school in Montgomery or Prince George’s County, Maryland;
- Any public or charter school in the District of Columbia;
- Any public or charter school in Arlington County, Fairfax County, Alexandria or Falls Church, Virginia; OR
- Westinghouse High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

No exceptions will be made.

Awards

Three (3) one-time scholarships will be awarded in the amount of $1,000 each. One (1) award is specifically meant for applicants going to vocational/trade school.
The scholarships can be applied to tuition, mandatory fees, books, supplies and equipment required for course load at accredited, nonprofit two or four-year colleges/universities or vocational/trade schools in the United States.
Awards are not renewable.

Application Process

Click the “Apply Now” button (below) or go to https://aim.applyISTS.net/DITR (program key DITR) to create an AIM account using your e-mail address and chosen password
Log in to your AIM account to be taken directly to the Welcome page of the Paula E. Waters Diamond in the Rough Scholarship application
Complete all required fields in the online application and upload your most recent high school transcript and ACT/SAT scores
Click the Submit button on the Save/Submit page of the online application

NOTE: The status Complete will display on your AIM Home page when all forms have been submitted and all documents have been verified. Applicants are responsible for monitoring the progress of all application requirements to make sure their application is complete by 11:59 pm PT on May 31, 2022. Late submissions will not be considered.

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