2026 Scholarship

JUDGING CRITERIA:

Applicants are judged on the following criteria: commitment and dedication to community service, character, responsibility, and academic achievement. The selection committee is comprised of members of the Rita Matteo Memorial Scholarship Board. The winner(s) of the scholarship will be notified by the committee and will be invited to receive their scholarship on August 2, 2026 at the Rita Matteo Memorial Scholarship Golf Outing. 

In 2026, The Rita Matteo Memorial Scholarship Board has allocated funds to award scholarships up to $20,000.00.   

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

•  The Rita Matteo Memorial Scholarship is open to all graduating seniors who at minimum: attended two years at any Lake County high school, Resides in Lake County for two years or Whose parent/Guardian participated in the RMMS Golf Outing for two years. 

•  A minimum of 150 community service hours is required to be considered. 

 Completed applications (including supporting documents) MUST be submitted  no later than March 12, 2026. 

•  The Rita Matteo Memorial Scholarship Board reserves the right to disqualify any applicant for failing to follow the above guidelines. 

•  Rita Matteo Memorial Scholarship recipients authorize that their name and image may be shared publicly in RMMS communications, which include but are not limited to social media content, published literature and inclusion on www.ritamatteo.org. 

•  The committee will not discriminate based on a person's national origin, race, color, religion, disability, sex, political affiliation and familial status.

APPLICATION:  

To have a complete application, students are responsible for the submission of four items: 

1) This digital form

2) Their most recent transcript (either official or unofficial), which should be emailed to ritamatteomemorialscholarship@gmail.com with the following in the subject line: student name + transcript. Students are allowed to submit their own transcript. 

3) One letter of recommendation from a staff member (teacher, guidance/college counselor, or principal) at your current high school, which should be emailed to ritamatteomemorialscholarship@gmail.com with the following in the subject line: student name + school LOR. Letters of recommendation should remain confidential from the student.

4) One letter of recommendation from someone at an organization the student has volunteered at (this letter may NOT be from a school staff member), which should be emailed to ritamatteomemorialscholarship@gmail.com with the following in the subject line: student name + service LOR. Letters of recommendation should remain confidential from the student.

Students must ensure that all four items have been submitted by 3:30 PM on Thursday, March 12th, 2026. If students or recommenders have questions, they can email ritamatteomemorialscholarship@gmail.com for clarification. 

All the essays/writing in this digital application form must be the student's own original work - generative AI is not allowed, nor are parents/guardians permitted to complete the essays. 

For more information, email: ritamatteomemorialscholarship@gmail.com