The Race to End the Stigma Scholarship was created by the Carlos Vieira Foundation to start the conversation about mental health. The $2,000 Race to End the Stigma Scholarship is granted annually to graduating high school seniors who are interested in mental health awareness or who are willing to share their story about mental health in an effort to end the stigma. Please review the following eligibility criteria before completing the application. If selected, the scholarship recipient will be asked to give a testimonial.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Be a graduating senior in good academic standing with a minimum 3.5 GPA
• Be graduating from a high school in one of the following twenty-one counties: Butte, Colusa, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Tulare, Tuolumne, Yolo, or Yuba.
• Seeking enrollment in a postsecondary degree program at a two or four-year college, university, or vocational-technical school

Submission Instructions: (Students may submit their application by one of the listed methods)

• Complete the application on our website, carlosvieirafoundation.org/scholarship.
• Complete the printed application and email to info@carlosvieirafoundation.org with supporting documentation.

All applications must include the following: (incomplete applications will be disqualified)

• Completed Application Form (Must be typed or completed in blue or black ink, not pencil)
• Unofficial High School transcript
• Completed Activities Record
• Personal essay using ONE of the following prompts (Maximum of 1,000 words, double-spaced. Please put the number and topic you choose at the top of your essay):
  1. Help start the conversation about mental health by telling a story of how you or a loved one has been affected by mental health, whether positive or negative, and how it has affected your life. Some examples can include experiencing or overcoming a mental health issue, improving one’s own mental health, etc.
  2. Have you ever taken steps towards reducing the stigma surrounding mental health issues? If so, how? Please share your experience.
  3. Do you plan to major in or seek a career in a subject related to the mental health field? If so, please share your plan, goals, and reasoning.