Bentley University, a leader in business education, and City Year, a leading nationwide youth service organization, recently announced the first "give a year" scholarship winners. Three students who are dedicated to both academic excellence and national service have been named Bentley National Service Scholars and will receive a $20,000 scholarship and a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award.

Bentley University and City Year joined forces last fall to launch the "give a year" program, a first of its kind partnership encouraging students to give a year of full-time service through City Year and receive scholarship support and subsequent internship opportunities.

Joseph Lea Dzerkacz - Maynard, Mass.
Bentley Class of 2009 - Economics/Finance major
Year of Service 2009-2010 with City Year Los Angeles
Graduate student at McCallum Graduate School of Business Fall 2010

Tara Bernadette Meehan - Canton, Mass
Bentley Class of 2009 - Management Major
Year of Service 2009-2010 with City Year Miami
Graduate student at McCallum Graduate School of Business Fall 2010

Jenna Naomi Nakamura, Kaneohe, Hawaii
Bentley Class of 2010 - Economics/Finance Major
Year of Service 2009-2010 with City Year Louisiana

Bentley University President Gloria Larson said, "Service has been part of the Bentley DNA for a very long time. This program takes it to another level by providing our students with a unique opportunity to gain both the skills and the values needed to solve world problems. As Bentley National Service Scholars, each of them will gain new insights into their own lives and the lives of others. They will develop and refine their interpersonal skills, apply their own experiences and knowledge to the task of change in America, and bring these experiences back to Bentley, enriching their education as they prepare themselves to become socially responsible leaders."

The three Bentley National Service Scholars will join 1,700 City Year corps members working in 19 locations across the United States and one in South Africa who change the world each day through full-time service as tutors, mentors and role models for children. Each corps member will also receive a monthly stipend, health insurance and other standard City Year benefits.

"City Year's vision is that a year of service will become a civic rite of passage for all young adults," said Michael Brown, City Year CEO and Co-Founder. This groundbreaking partnership provides future leaders with an excellent business education at Bentley and an intensive civic leadership experience with City Year. As alumni of both Bentley and City Year, these dedicated National Service Scholars will be the thoughtful, hands-on action-oriented leaders we need to find solutions that both further private sector success and meet public sector needs"

The criterion for selection for the scholarship requires that each student is first accepted by City Year as a corps member. A Bentley committee then reviews each student's prior record of service, academic record, letters of recommendation and materials submitted with their City Year application.

Interested students apply for admission to both Bentley University and City Year. Bentley students can apply prior to the beginning of their fulltime undergraduate or graduate enrollment and, if chosen, can perform their year of service any time prior to their final year. City Year corps members can apply for a give a year scholarship concurrently with their application to Bentley, either for the undergraduate or graduate degree programs.

For more information on the program, please go to http://www.bentley.edu/service-learning/give-a-year.cfm

CITY YEAR unites young people of all backgrounds for a year of full-time service, giving them the skills and opportunities to change the world. As tutors, mentors, and role models, these diverse young leaders make a difference in the lives of children and transform schools and neighborhoods across the United States and in South Africa. For more information, please visit www.cityyear.org. City Year is a proud member of AmeriCorps.

BENTLEY UNIVERSITY is a leader in business education. Centered on teaching and research in business and related professions, Bentley blends the breadth and technological strength of a university with the core values and student focus of a close-knit campus. Our undergraduate curriculum combines business study with a strong foundation in the arts and sciences. The McCallum Graduate School emphasizes the impact of technology on business practice, in offerings that include MBA and Master of Science programs, PhD programs in accountancy and in business, and custom executive education programs. Located minutes from Boston in Waltham, Massachusetts, the school enrolls approximately 4,000 full-time undergraduate, 250 adult part-time undergraduate, 1,400 graduate, and 30 doctoral students. Bentley is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges; AACSB International -- The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business; and the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS), which benchmarks quality in management and business education.

Bentley University

Bentley University

Bentley University is a leader in business education.

More from Bentley University