SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - Members of the Sacramento Tall Club (STC) affiliated with Tall Clubs International (TCI) are seeking outstanding eligible high school seniors throughout Sacramento, Yolo, Placer and El Dorado counties to apply for their competitive annual academic scholarship.

While scholarship application materials were provided to county board of election departments in the four counties by STC in January, the club is taking an extra step this year to ensure that it gets the general word out to interested high school seniors throughout the geographical region, said Barbara Kerrin, STC scholarship chair.

“There are dozens of private and public high schools within the Northern California region whose students can and should apply,” Kerrin said. “By distributing information broadly to the communication department of county boards of education throughout the region, we avoid any individual high school districts of accusing us of favoritism.”

Every year, Sacramento Tall Club awards academic scholarships to qualified and talented high school seniors who meet the tall club height requirements (at least 5’10” for women and 6’2″ for men.) The annual STC scholarship award is dedicated in memoriam of former STC members many of whom were big supporters of young scholars and their many talents and merits. Scholarship amounts can vary year to year.

Part of the scholarship application for each young person is to write an essay titled “What being tall means to me.”

“Their essays are quite reflective and thoughtful about the personal challenges we as tall people, often face,” Kerrin said.

Completed typed essays and all application materials submitted by area high school students graduating in the 2021-22 school year is March 1, said Barbara Kerrin, STC scholarship chair.

Local STC scholarship winners also compete for annual scholarships awarded by both Tall Clubs International (TCI) and by the non-profit Tall Clubs International Foundation. Annually, the TCI Foundation awards additional multiple student scholarships of up to $1,000 each.

While grade point average and test scores are especially important scholarship evaluation criteria, so too are participation in school activities and community involvement, Kerrin said.

“Just being tall doesn’t alone qualify you,” she said.

General membership itself in the social Sacramento Tall Club itself is open to men that are over six feet and women that are nearing that mark.

Ekaterina (Katia) Griffin, a graduate of William and Marian Ghidotti Early College High School in Grass Valley was one of three 2020 STC scholarship winners. Griffin attends the University of California San Diego and is studying chemical engineering.

In 2019, Nicole Hensley, a graduating senior from Bella Vista High School in Orangevale received a $1,000 academic scholarship from the Sacramento Tall Club scholarship award and was a Tall Club International (TCI) scholarship winner.

“We wish all our applicants all the best in the preparing of their applications, and in their overall scholarship search,” Kerrin said. The 2020 STC scholarship winner will be notified later in March by the club membership.

Kerrin said all signed STC scholarship applications should be submitted with a good headshot photo, preferably a senior graduation photo. Partial applications are not accepted.

“If you want to know whether or not your STC scholarship application has been received, you MUST send in a self-addressed stamped envelope,” Kerrin said. “We will not answer any requests via email to whether we have received an application or not.”

Applicants may view STC scholarship application guidelines, sample essays and view photos of current and past winners on the club website at www.sacramentotallclub.org/scholarship/

The club has a donations link to contribute to its scholarship fund at www.sacramentotallclub.org/scholarship/contribute-to-our-scholarship-fund/ so the amount of student scholarship awards can be increased.

Completed scholarship applications can be submitted electronically to: [email protected] or by mail to: STC Scholarship Application, c/o Sacramento Tall Club Scholarship, 8712 Brigham Way, Sacramento CA 95826.

Applicants can contact [email protected] with questions or for more information.