Student Scholarships
Individuals, families, or organizations set up scholarship funds for a variety of reasons, such as to honor or memorialize a loved one, support educational opportunities and college attainment, establish a family or organizational legacy of giving, or support a particular educational institution. As the Howard County public schools education foundation, Bright Minds has awarded more than $60,000 in scholarships to 50 students since its founding. These scholarships make post-secondary education possible for many recipients and more accessible for all recipients.
Bright Minds provides staff assistance, fundraising and community expertise, resources and tools, and a variety of services that help donors set up and award scholarship dollars to students.
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Paris R. Buckman Memorial Scholarship
Paris Renee Buckman, a graduate of Mount Hebron High School, passed away suddenly on July 14, 2021 at 17 years of age. Paris loved her family and friends, had a beautiful smile, and touched the lives of everyone she met.
She was a member of the Mount Hebron Lancer Drill Team, Delta Scholars, as well as part of the National Math Honor Society and National Spanish Honor Society.
An avid reader, Paris was a self-described Harry Potter junkie who proudly let everyone know she was part of Hufflepuff, one of the four Houses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the book series. She was such a fan of the books, which she started reading in second grade, she read the 7-part series 10 times and often watched the movies with her family.
Paris had been accepted into numerous colleges such as American University, Syracuse University, Virginia Tech, University of Louisville, West Virginia University and University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She chose UMBC after being accepted into the Honors Program and planned to major in mathematics, computer science or information systems.
The Paris R. Buckman Memorial Scholarship will support graduating seniors with a passion for dance on the Lancers Drill Team at Mt. Hebron High School. This scholarship embodies Paris’ values, commitment to helping others, and love of dance.
Charlotte Spitalnic Memorial Scholarship
The Spitalnic family established the Charlotte Spitalnic Memorial Scholarship to honor the life and legacy of their daughter Charlotte, who passed suddenly on February 26, 2022.
Charlotte was a 9th grader at Centennial High School. Charlotte was an amazing big sister, daughter, and friend. Charlotte participated in many theatrical productions from elementary school through high school. Her favorite class during middle and high school was choir. Charlotte loved traveling, going to amusement parks (Disney, Universal, Hershey, Six Flags), movies (Marvel universe), and theater shows (Tobys, Hippodrome). Charlotte cared about social causes and wanted to help others. Kind, considerate of others, and family-oriented, Charlotte was looking forward to so many things to come and will be dearly missed.
The Charlotte Spitalnic Memorial Scholarship will support Centennial High School students who have demonstrated a passion for choir and/or theater. This scholarship embodies Charlotte’s values, commitment to helping others, and love of choir and theater.
Emily Scott Memorial Scholarship
The Centennial High School community and Scott family established the Emily Scott Memorial Scholarship to honor the life and legacy of this inspiring young woman, who passed away suddenly on May 23, 2022.
Emily was a 2018 graduate of Centennial High School. She was an amazing student, friend, sister, and daughter. She defied all the odds throughout her 25 years on Earth. Emily participated in Best Buddies at Centennial High School and went on to attend The Athelas Institute in Columbia. Emily loved dancing and singing to her favorite artists, Raffi and Laurie Berkner, visiting the carousel at the Columbia Mall, going on walks around Centennial Park with her family, swinging on various swings around Howard County, and eating chocolate chip cookies and butterscotch pudding. She also made sure everyone stayed on schedule! Emily had an infectious smile, tireless determination and effusive enthusiasm. She was kind, funny, and happily clapped and stomped up and down the school hallways unlike anyone else!
The Emily Scott Memorial Scholarship will support Centennial High School students who have demonstrated a passion for embracing acceptance and helping others. This scholarship embodies the values Emily and her family worked towards throughout her life: acceptance and kindness.
Matthew Murphy Memorial Scholarship
The Murphy family established the Matthew Murphy Memorial Scholarship to honor the life and legacy of their son Matthew, who passed suddenly on May 27, 2021.
Matthew graduated from Glenelg High School in 2020 and was enrolled at UMBC majoring in Chemical Engineering. Matthew was an Eagle Scout and scholar athlete. He loved playing football and baseball or bantering on-line with his friends. He attended Saint Michael’s Catholic Church in Poplar Springs where he had been an altar server. Due to his dependability and work ethic, he was well-known to neighbors for his willingness to help. He worked weekends as a stocker at Food Lion. Kind, considerate of others, and family-oriented, he was often seen on walks with his parents or helping in the yard. His older brother was his best friend and role model.
The Matthew Murphy Memorial Scholarship will support aspiring engineers participating in the Project Lead the Way Academy at Glenelg High School. This scholarship embodies Matthew’s values, commitment to helping others, and love of engineering.
Bright Minds Foundation Scholarship – In Honor of Sydney L. Cousin
The Sydney L. Cousin Memorial Scholarship was established to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Sydney L. Cousin, superintendent of the Howard County Public School System from July 2004 until his retirement in June 2012. The scholarship is intended to help HCPSS graduates who have demonstrated their commitment to becoming an educator – by completing a teacher education transfer program at Howard Community College or through acceptance in a teacher education degree program at an accredited four-year college/university. In May of each year, awardees receive a $1,000 scholarship which can be used to pay tuition, fees, or the cost of books.
Laura Wallen Memorial Scholarship
The Wallen family established the Laura E. Wallen Memorial Scholarship to honor the life and legacy of Wilde Lake High School social studies teacher, Laura Wallen. Wallen believed in the amazing potential of each of her students and in each person’s ability to have a positive impact on our world. This scholarship embodies Wallen’s values and her belief in the power and potential of the students at Wilde Lake High School.
The scholarship helps Wilde Lake High School graduates who wish to major in one of the social sciences and pursue college studies at a two or four-year institution. Winners will receive between $1,000 and $2,500, which can be used to pay tuition, fees, or the cost of books. Scholarship applications are released annually on February 10, which is Lauren’s birthday.