Jan Schiff Memorial Scholarship
What is the Jan Schiff Memorial Scholarship?
The Jan Schiff Memorial Scholarship was named by the Literacy Council of Fort Bend County Board of Directors to honor the legacy of Jan Schiff.
What is the purpose and amount of the Jan Schiff Memorial Scholarship?
The purpose of the Jan Schiff Memorial Scholarship is to provide financial support to a Literacy Council of Fort Bend County adult student who is working to further their education. A $1,000 scholarship is awarded to a very deserving student annually.
What are the requirements to qualify for the scholarship?
The applicant must be a student or former student of the Literacy Council of Fort Bend County.
The applicant must be planning to attend an accredited two or four-year college or university or a State of Texas accredited vocational school.
The applicant must demonstrate financial need as interpreted by the Scholarship Review Committee.
The applicant must provide two letters of reference from non-family members.
The applicant must submit two essays with the application. These essays must be typed, double-spaced and no more than 500 words each.
When are decisions made?
Decisions will be made each January.
Will there be an interview?
Applicants will be asked to interview with the Scholarship Review Committee prior to scholarship determination.
Where can I get a copy of the application and who do I contact if I have questions?
Applications are available at the Literacy Council of Fort Bend County; 12530 Emily Court, Sugar Land, TX 77478.
Where do I send my application?
Please send the application to the above address or drop it by the location.
When are applications due?
Applications are due no later than January 30th of each year.
For more information, please contact Dedre Smith at 281-240-8181 or email dsmith@ftbendliteracy.org
Who was Jan Schiff?
Jan Schiff spent her adult life working with public schools, most recently working as the Volunteer in Public Schools Coordinator for Fort Bend ISD. From the time she graduated from the University of Texas with a Bachelor of Science in Education and started teaching middle school in Austin, Jan both volunteered and worked with public schools.
Whether it was making a foreign exchange student feel welcomed or teaching an adult to read for the first time, Jane felt passionately about education and changing the world. A reading teacher in her early career, Jan understood the importance for both young people and adults to read. As a longtime volunteer and past president of the Literacy Council of Fort Bend, she worked hard to help create a safe and caring place in which no one would feel embarrassed or ridiculed for what they did not know, but instead nourished by what they were able to learn and achieve. It was Jan’s and others’ vision that resulted in the creation of the Fort Bend Education Foundation in 1993. The Education Foundation is an independent organization of volunteers working to enhance the quality of public education by providing funding for grants that enrich the classroom experience. Always an integral and vital force within the educational and volunteer community, Jan was honored as Fort Bend County Woman of the Year in 2002.
Jan began her volunteer career in 1979 working for the AFS Intercultural Programs by helping to orient and send students abroad. She actively pursued improving the education provided in Fort Bend ISD by participating in her children’s PTOs throughout their school careers, as VIPS Coordinator and PTO President and board member. Jan was also active in volunteer capacities for the Fort Bend Chapters of the American Cancer Society and CASA, and served on numerous boards including the Fort Bend Literacy Council, Fort Bend A.W.A.R.E. (a branch of the Houston Alzheimer’s Association) and various Campus Based Leadership Teams. She was particularly proud of her service for many years on the Fort Bend Education Foundation, where she served as a member, Allocations Vice President, Vice President of Community Involvement and President.
However, Jan’s greatest joy was her family and the pride she took in the accomplishments of her husband and children. She led a life filled with the good fortune of having many loyal close friends and the love of her family. Her son, David, is a 2002 graduate of Vanderbilt and has completed a five-year tour in the Navy. Her daughter, Laura, graduated in 2004 from Emory University. Her husband, Michael, owns his own business and has served as Sugar Land City Councilman for District 4.
Although Jan Schiff’s life ended in a tragic accident on Saturday, January 5, 2008, her legacy remains in her love for her family and her passion for education and changing the world, one person at a time.