The Polish Museum of America (PMA) is pleased to announce The Polish Museum of America Pulaski Day Scholarship Program. The scholarship recipients will be introduced at the annual official State of Illinois Pulaski Day Celebration to be held on Monday, March 3, 2014 in the Sabina P. Logisz Great Hall of the PMA during the 10 a.m. program. The PMA will select two recipients. Each will receive a $1,000 scholarship applicable for the 2014-2015 school year. High school seniors and college students are encouraged to apply. Submissions must be received no later than Tuesday morning, February 25, 2014, by 11 a.m. with no exceptions.
To participate, each candidate must submit an essay in English (not to exceed 500 words, excluding citations of sources) on the following subject: Discuss a specific work of art in the Polish Museum of America collection and the importance of the artist. The PMA and its Library can help serve as excellent resources for information gathering. The essay should be accompanied by a personal statement of the student’s academic accomplishments and career goals. The personal statement and applicant’s name MUST NOT appear in the body of the essay and MUST not exceed 250 words.
Essay entries MUST be typed, double-spaced, and in 12 point font. Candidates must be residents of the metropolitan Chicago area, and must include their first and last name, email address, phone number, and school address with their personal statement, but NOT on the essay. Last year’s scholarship recipients are not eligible this year. Family members of the PMA staff and PMA board members are not eligible. Please email the entries to: [email protected]. Applicants will be notified no later than Friday, February 28, 2014. If there are any questions, please call (773) 384-3352, ext. 104, weekdays between 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
The two 2014 scholarship recipients must also attend the official scholarship presentation at The Polish Museum of America on Monday, March 3, 2014. There will be a photo session after the event. Scholarship checks will be mailed to the two recipients during the week of March 3, 2014.
In recent years, guests at the Pulaski Day celebration have included the then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama, Governor Patrick Quinn, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, U.S. Senators Richard Durbin and Mark Kirk, guests from the Polish government, military, and Polish Embassy, along with other distinguished political and community leaders. A short program of speakers will take place, with a public reception to follow. Admission and parking are free.
In Illinois, the first Monday of March honors Polish-born Brigadier General Casimir Pulaski, a famed cavalry officer in Poland, who joined the American Revolution and became a hero and a source of great pride for Polish Americans.