Sue Cantrell Scholarship
The Blinded Veterans Association’s Sue Cantrell Scholarships are available to spouses, children, and grandchildren of verified BVA members to assist them with their higher education or trade (vocational or technical) school tuition. These military scholarships are awarded based on merit through an application process evaluated by a committee. The Cantrell scholarships for veterans’ dependents are for one year only but recipients can re-apply and receive the award up to four (4) times. Applications for the 2026-27 academic year are due April 30, 2026, for the four (4) awards valued at $2,500 each.

Applicants should read instructions and gather all required information prior to filling out the application. Complete applications are mandatory for eligibility.

To complete the scholarship application, you will need the following documents and information:

  1. Personal Information:
  • Full Name
  • Gender
  • Permanent Address
  • Current Address
  • Email Address
  • Permanent Phone Number
  • State of Residence
  1. Educational Information:
  • Institution and Address for which Scholarship is sought (must be an accredited institution of higher education or business, secretarial or vocational training school)
  • Enrollment Status
  • Field of Study
  • Graduate or Undergraduate Status
  • Full-time Student Status
  • Expected Graduation Date
  • Previous Scholarship Information (if applicable)
  • Costs Payable to Institution (tuition, books, fees)
  1. Educational History:
  • Names and Locations of Previous Institutions
  • Dates of Attendance
  • Degrees Sought
  • Expected Graduation Dates
  1. Required Documents:
  • Transcripts (high school and/or college)
  • Three Signed and Typed Reference Letters (one academic, two personal)
    * Letters cannot be from a family member
  • Statement of Career Goals/Personal Narrative
  • Resume (employment/volunteer experience)
  • Optional Additional Evidence of Achievement
  1. BVA Member Information:
  • Name of Verified BVA Member (living or deceased)
    (Applicants must be a dependent of a BVA Member)
  • Relationship to BVA Member
  • Living or Deceased Status
  • Permanent or Last Known Address
  • Permanent or Last Known Telephone Number

 

About the Sue Cantrell Scholarship Program

Ellen Sue Cantrell passed away on May 4, 2024, leaving an indelible mark on the lives of all who knew her. Sue had many different careers and hobbies that took her to court rooms, gardening clubs, counseling sessions, and quilting projects. In each venue, those with whom she associated felt special and loved. Sue was a life-long friend of Lois W, co-founder of Al-Anon Family Groups and a 12-Step fellowship for the friends and family of alcoholics. Sue and her husband, Randy, current Director of District 4, adopted two sons and were foster parents to many. Sue was an effective drug and alcohol counselor for both the addicted as well as the parents of addicted children. She served as a delegate for Al-Anon Family Groups. Sue also served as the Secretary for the BVA Auxiliary, a group comprised of family members, friends, and caregivers united in the mission of ensuring our country’s blind and low vision veterans have the support they need.

The Sue Cantrell Scholarship Program was established to support and assist spouses, children, and grandchildren of BVA members. Successful applicants for the scholarships have demonstrated excellence in their past academic work and promising potential for achievement in higher education pursuits. The selection criteria for awarding the scholarships are merit-based with candidates evaluated by a committee.

The Cantrell scholarships for eligible applicants are for one year only but recipients can re-apply and receive the award up to four times during their academic careers. The recipient’s spouse, parent, or grandparent is required to be a current or deceased verified member of the Blinded Veterans Association to be eligible for the scholarships.

Annual scholarship details are announced in December of each year for the subsequent academic year beginning in the fall. The announcement includes detailed instructions, an application form, and announces the number of scholarships available for the upcoming year and their corresponding dollar amounts.

The scholarships must be used to defray a student’s cost of expenses for tuition, books, or other academic fees and are payable directly to the institution at the beginning of the fall and spring terms of study. At the time of application, candidates must have already been accepted for admission or be attending an undergraduate or graduate program at an accredited institution of higher education or business, secretarial, or vocational training schools as a full-time student.

All submissions for scholarships must be submitted electronically no later than April 30, 2025 by 12:00 midnight EST or postmarked on or before Wednesday, April 30, 2025. Physical applications should be sent to:

Blinded Veterans Association
Attn: Scholarship Committee
PO Box 90770
Washington, DC 20090

The Scholarship Committee meets in early June to make scholarship determinations. For additional assistance or information, contact BVA at 202-371-8880 or email scholarship@bva.org.

2026 – 2027 Sue Cantrell Scholarship Application

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General Instructions

Please read the instructions and questions on the application before attempting to supply the information requested.

Name *

Permanent Address *

Current Address *

Email *



Must be an accredited institution of higher education or business, secretarial or vocational
training school–neglecting to include this information could disqualify your application

Are you presently enrolled? *

Graduate or Undergraduate *
Will you be a full-time student? *

Month and Year (e.g. January 2022)

Have you previously received a scholarship from BVA? *

Month and Year (e.g. January 2022)Itemize the estimated costs, payable directly to the school, of your tuition, books, and other academic fees for the coming year. Neglecting to include this information could disqualify your application.E.g. 2019 to 2022E.g. 2019 to 2022E.g. 2019 to 2022E.g. 2019 to 2022

SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING WITH YOUR APPLICATION:

(Incomplete applications will NOT be submitted to the Scholarship Committee. It is the responsibility of the applicant–NOT BVA–to ensure a complete application.)

Transcripts

If you have attended an institution of higher education (or several of them), you must submit a transcript of your record from each institution.
If you have not attended an institution of higher education, you must submit a transcript of your high school record.
If you have been to college only one semester, you must submit your high school transcript in addition to the college transcript.

Three Reference Letters in Calendar School Year

ONE letter of ACADEMIC reference related to your academic achievements. This reference must be formalized using letterhead or business stationary from the affiliated organization. Letters of academic reference must be related to the school you are attending or will be attending and must be no later than six months old.
TWO letters of PERSONAL reference in which the authors must identify their relationship with you. All reference letters must be typed. All letters must be addressed to the Blinded Veterans Association. Letters of reference used for previous scholarship applications will NOT be accepted. All letters of reference must be signed. Letters of reference MAY NOT come from a family member.

Statement of Career Goals/Personal Narrative

Describe briefly in no more than 300 words your post-education, lifetime, specific career goals, and aspirations (i.e., what you plan to do after completing your education) and outline your plans to pursue them. It is highly recommended that the statement of career goals be composed on a computer. Previous scholarship applicants must submit a new statement with each application.

Resume Including Employment / Volunteer Experience

If you have been or are currently employed/volunteering, please provide a copy of your resume. Provide employer(s), dates of employment, and type of work performed. If listing volunteer experience, please provide the name of the organization(s) you volunteered for, contact name and phone number, and dates of service.

Optional Additional Evidence of Achievement

You may submit other evidence of achievement in the academic and/or the non-academic fields that you believe qualifies you for a scholarship award. However, such evidence must be corroborated by documentation, i.e., a copy of a certificate documenting the award, a copy of a citation, etc.Scholarships will be awarded for one year only. Applicants are advised that the BVA National Board of Directors’ Policy concerning the Sue Cantrell scholarships is that the number of scholarships a recipient may receive under the program will be limited to four (4) during enrollment.

Drag & Drop Files, Choose Files to Upload
You can upload up to 10 files.

Please provide the following information about the Blinded Veterans Association Member (Parent, Grandparent, Spouse)

Name of BVA Member *

Is the Blinded Veterans Association Member living or deceased? *
Permanent or Last Known Address of Blind or Low Vision Veteran (BVA Member) *



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