In February 1989, Evelyn Lenander from Buffalo Lake, Minnesota established a fund to provide scholarships for college students majoring in elementary education. Evelyn was born in Renville County. She attended St. Cloud Teachers College and graduated with a two-year teaching degree in 1929. She and her husband farmed and Evelyn continued to teach. Evelyn Lenander was much loved and respected by her students during her 39-year career as an elementary education teacher. “I didn’t have children of my own. I had community children,” she said. Supporting students interested in pursuing elementary education career was important to Evelyn because, “You can’t be a good teacher by saying you want to be. A good teacher knows the basics and isn’t afraid to love the students.”
Evelyn Lenander Education Scholarship*
About This Scholarship
- College Student
- From: Attending a Minnesota College or University going into their 3rd or 4th year and have graduated from a MN high school.
- Major: Elementary Education.
- GPA: 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Recipients must have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
- Completed 2 full years of college and accepted in a Minnesota College/University program leading to an elementary education degree.
- Preference will be given to permanent MN residents living within a 25 miles radius of Buffalo Lake and then eligibility will be expanded to include other students from Minnesota. All applicants should be permanent residents of the state of Minnesota.
- Planning to attend: 3-4th year of college
- Alexandria Technical and Community College
- Augsburg College
- Bemidji State University
- Bethany Lutheran College
- Bethel University
- Carleton College
- College of St. Benedict
- College of St. Scholastica
- Concordia College - Moorhead, MN
- Concordia University - St. Paul, MN
- Gustavus Adolphus College
- Hamline University
- Macalester College
- Minnesota State University - Mankato
- Minnesota State University - Moorhead
- Saint John's University
- Saint Mary's University
- Southwest Minnesota State University
- St. Catherine University
- St. Cloud State University
- St. Cloud Technical and Community College
- St. John's University
- St. Olaf College
- University of Minnesota - Crookston
- University of Minnesota - Duluth
- University of Minnesota - Morris
- University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
- University of Northwestern - St. Paul
- University of St. Thomas
- Winona State University
- Application General Questions
- Essay: 2 page double spaced: What event or person has influenced your life the most? Share how and why this is important to the person you are becoming?
- Statement of Need and Responsibility: Briefly share a personal, life, or family circumstance affecting your need for this scholarship.
- List of Activities for: 1) Community Service i.e. civic and church volunteer activities 2) Extracurricular School Activities i.e. school activities that are not graded 3) Work Experience
- Electronic Transcript: College Students:Must obtain a transcript from the college registrar office and upload as a PDF.Unofficial transcripts are acceptable if they are from the registrar’s office.
- May:Recipients will be notified via email in early May.
- June 15:Recipients must sign their scholarship agreement and provide college information. CommunityGiving will verify that you are enrolled as a full-time student at the college.(Full-time enrollment is typically 12-16 credits)
- June: Inform your college that you have received the scholarship.
- September 1: Generally, full payment will arrive at your college unless otherwise notified.
Apply For This Scholarship
Online applications only.
*To apply for this scholarship, you must have an existing Scholarship Management System account or create a new account.