Los Angeles, CA Nov 17, 2008:.
Kerala Hindus of North America (KHNA), the prominent organization of Malayalee Hindus living in USA, Canada and Mexico, has announced the continuation of its scholarship program for the third straight year. This program was started in 2006 to provide financial assistance to bright and economically disadvantaged students of Kerala pursuing professional degree programs. KHNA Scholarships are administered by a committee consisting of Mr. T.N. Nair (Dallas), Dr. Ramadas Pillai (Los Angeles), Mr. Govindan Janardhanan (New York), Mr. Gopalakrishnan Nair (Houston), Mr. Ashokan Vengassery (Philadelphia), Dr. Sathi Nair (Detroit), Dr. Santha Sreedharan (Los Angeles), Mr. Ravi Nair (Florida), Mr. Sivan Pillai (Philadelphia) and Mr. Presannan Pillai (Chicago).
Click Here for News Release on the 2007-08 scholarship Distribution in Thiruvananthapuram
Click Here for the KHNA Scholarships Website
KHNA scholarships are provided entirely by community support. Most scholarships are sponsored by individuals and families in memory of a loved one. KHNA requests more corporate sponsors to come forward and sponsor scholarships. Since the scholarships are administered by KHNA, sponsors avoid administrative overheads and are relieved of the burden of selecting the right candidate. Besides helping the needy students, scholarships are also a way to give back to our motherland.
Trustee Board Chairman Mr. T.N. Nair said that earlier this year KHNA had launched its
"One Family, One Scholarship" campaign to raise awareness of the program among the Hindu community members. KHNA wants every Malayalee Hindu family living in North America to sponsor at least one student a year. If enough sponsors come forward no deserving student would have to abandon studies for lack of funds.
For the 2007-2008 academic year KHNA awarded thirty six new scholarships and renewed fifty scholarships which were awarded the previous year. For renewals full scholarship amount could not be awarded to all students due to lack of funds. KHNA President Dr. Ramadas Pillai urged the Hindu community to offer their generous contributions for the successful continuation of the scholarship program. He thanked all those who supported the program with their sponsorships and donations.
This year KHNA will be offering a limited number of scholarships sponsored by individuals for the full duration of the course. Scholarships are offered to students in their first year of professional studies. These shall be renewed for the second year depending on the satisfactory academic progress of the student and funds availability. Each scholarship shall be a sum of $250.00 per year.
Starting from this year in addition to the regular scholarships KHNA plans to award one-time financial assistance to a few deserving students pursuing professional degree programs.
To be eligible for KHNA scholarships, student should be currently enrolled in a post-Higher Secondary course leading to a professional degree program such as Engineering, Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing or Pharmacology. Online or correspondence courses will not be considered for scholarships. Combined annual income of the student and the student's parents or guardians should not exceed Indian Rupees 50,000.00. Applicants should have scored at least 75% aggregate marks in the Higher Secondary level (12th Standard) examination.
Applications for these scholarships must be submitted in the prescribed form available on the KHNA Scholarship website
www.khnascholarships.org.
The following items also should be included in the application package:
1. Income certificate showing annual income from all sources.
2. An essay of up to 5 pages written by the student on the topic
"Casteless Society: Can Sree Narayana Guru’s vision be realized?". The essay may be written in English or Malayalam.
3. A letter from the student explaining the financial need. Submit income details of all family members.
4. Attested copy of the mark list and a recent passport size photograph
5. Proof of admission to a professional degree program.
6. A recommendation letter from a local Hindu community organization.
Those who were granted scholarships in previous years may apply for renewal using the renewal application form available on the scholarship website. They should also submit the essay, current income certificate, current mark list, recent photo and a letter explaining the financial need.
Applications should be sent to KHNA, Post Box No. 144, G.P.O., Thiruvananthapuram 695 001, Kerala by regular mail. Registered mail and mail sent by courier cannot be accepted. Completed applications must be received by KHNA on or before January 10, 2009. Incomplete applications shall not be considered. Students will be selected by the scholarship committee based on their proven eligibility and financial need. KHNA will notify selected applicants individually and the list will be published on the scholarship website.
For more information regarding this press release please contact KHNA Trustee
Mr. Presannan K Pillai at 630-935-2990 or email pkpillai@aol.com.
