Nicole Hensley, 2018-2019 Sacramento Tall Club scholarship award and TCI scholarship winner from Bella Vista High School. Left to right are Bob and Patty Huggett, scholarship winner Nicole Hensley and LeeAnn and Dave Spencer. Nicole was awarded her check for $1,000 on May 23, 2019, at Awards Night at Bella Vista High. Photo courtesy of the Sacramento Tall Club

SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - Members of the Sacramento Tall Club (STC) affiliated with Tall Clubs International (TCI) are seeking outstanding eligible high school seniors throughout Sacramento, Yolo, Placer and El Dorado counties to apply for their competitive annual 2022-23 academic scholarship.

The number of submitted scholarship applications dropped off last year, said STC Club President Harry Lehman of Orangevale. STC did not award a local scholarship for the 2021-22 school year.

“We wanted to take an extra step to reach out to all high school districts throughout our region in a focused direct mail effort, and through the media to make sure that both public and private schools received this year’s application materials in a timely manner.

“We recognize that the potential pool of eligible scholarship candidates across the Northern California region is quite large, and we wanted to take all steps possible to encourage high school seniors to apply.”

TCI divides California geographically into four scholarship areas with membership of the Sacramento Tall Club responsible for student scholarship applications in some 29 inland counties, large and small, north to the Oregon border, Lehman said.

Locally, STC has provided scholarship materials to high schools in the San Juan Unified School District serving Citrus Heights, Folsom, Rancho Cordova, and Sacramento city and county high schools.

“The TCI scholarship application process is now completely entirely online,” Lehman said.

“Typically, high school guidance counselors are aware of the STC and TCI scholarship program, but many may not be aware that our application process has completely changed,” Lehman said.

Individual applicants can upload their application, current high school transcripts, reference letters, and personal photo to the TCI scholarship website at www.sacramentotallclub.org/scholarship starting January 1st where they will receive an immediate receipt email acknowledgment of their application and responses to any direct questions which they may have, Lehman said. STC scholarship applicants may also contact scholarship@sacramentotallclub with additional questions or for more information.

A complete summary of STC scholarship application guidelines, sample essays and photos of current and past winners are also posted on the club website.

Every year, the Sacramento Tall Club awards academic scholarships to qualified and talented high school seniors who meet the tall club height requirements (at least 5’10” for women and 6’2” for men.) The annual STC scholarship award is dedicated in memoriam to former TCI and STC members, many of whom were big supporters of young scholars and their many talents and merits. Scholarship amounts can vary year to year.

Part of the scholarship application for each young person is to write an essay titled “What being tall means to me.”

Completed essays, high school transcripts and all application materials submitted by area high school students graduating in the 2023-24 school year are due by March 1.

Local Sacramento Tall Club (STC) scholarship winners also compete for annual scholarships awarded by both Tall Clubs International (TCI) and by the non-profit Tall Clubs International Foundation. Annually, the TCI foundation awards scholarships of up to $1,000 each.

While grade point average and test scores are especially important scholarship criteria, so too are participation in school activities and community involvement.

General membership in the social Sacramento Tall Club is open to men that are over six feet and women that are nearing that mark.

“We wish all our applicants our best in preparing their applications, and in their overall scholarship search,” Lehman said.

The 2023 STC scholarship winner will be notified later in March 2024 by the club membership.

All signed STC scholarship applications should be submitted with a good headshot photo, preferably a senior graduation photo. Partial applications submitted online are not accepted, Lehman said.

The club also has a donations link to contribute to its scholarship fund at: www.sacramentotallclub.org/scholarship so that the dollar amount of student scholarship awards can be increased. Lehman said, “We’re always looking for, and welcome support from the community to help the STC scholarship program grow and offer more scholarships to eligible students.”