Sarah Josephine Langstaff Memorial Scholarship

Scholarship Sponsored by Daughters of the British Empire in the USA

The Sarah Josephine Langstaff Memorial Scholarship was launched in 2018 to commemorate our founder and to assist women of Commonwealth descent in their academic pursuits.

History

The United States saw the establishment of DBE in 1909, thanks to the efforts of Sarah Josephine Meredith Langstaff.

Sarah Josephine was welcomed into the world on April 14, 1849, in St. Catherine, Ontario, Canada. Shortly after her birth, she was adopted by Bridgewater Meredith and his wife Caroline Arnold during their visit to Canada. The Merediths soon brought Josephine to their New Jersey home after the adoption.

DBE is a nationally acclaimed 501(c)(3) charity organization that operates solely for charitable purposes, including supporting 501(c)(3) District Homes established by DBE and other 501(c)(3) organizations. It also promotes an understanding of the cultures and traditions of the Commonwealth of Nations. The National Society of DBE aims to unite women in friendship for charitable, cultural, and educational purposes. The organization's members are women of all ages with British or Commonwealth of Nations heritage.

SCHOLARSHIP INVITATION: OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE

• DBE will grant four (4) $1,000 scholarships or eight (8) $500 scholarships each year. The beneficiaries will be from each of the four (4) DBE geographic Districts (Eastern, Western, Midwest, and Southern).
• A Scholarship Committee, led by the District Organizer, will be established in each District to assess and choose the scholarship recipients.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

• Female students, aged 18 or above, who are US residents with Commonwealth of Nations lineage.
• Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited two or four-year college or university.
• Applicants must have a minimum college GPA of 3.0 (students in their second semester of the Freshman year are eligible to apply).
• Applicants cannot be a State, Chapter, or Member-at-Large member of DBE.
• Students must have completed at least one semester of college to submit their grades to the committee.

APPLICATION PROCESS

• The application form can be downloaded and filled out. The form is available here.
• Applicants are required to submit a one-page typed essay detailing their career aspirations and Commonwealth of Nations lineage or heritage.
• A current copy of the college transcript must be included with the essay.
• For communication purposes, contact information should be included with the essay.
• Applications must reach DBE by November 1st each year.
• The completed application packets should be sent to the Scholarship Committee.

APPLICATION OUTCOME

• DBE National will forward the scholarship awards to the applicant’s college and/or university.
• All applicants will receive an email update about their application status by January 5th of the year following the November 1st submission of their scholarship application.