Leadership Scholarships for New Students

CMU offers two Leadership Scholarships to students who demonstrate significant leadership ability, academic excellence, personal character, service, and vision (maximum value $20,000; $5,000 per year for up to four years).

To be eligible for a Leadership Scholarship, students must submit the Scholarship Application and have two reference forms submitted from individuals closely involved in their particular area of leadership (e.g. teacher, coach, youth leader, pastor, or mentor). Students are also required to submit a detailed résumé and an essay. All applicants for the Leadership Scholarship who do not receive the scholarship will also be considered for one of two Leadership Merit Awards worth $2,000 each for one year. All materials must be submitted no later than February 28. International students and dependents of CMU employees are not eligible for this award.

Eligibility

  • Is completing a high school diploma or has no more than nine credit hours of post-secondary education.
  • Plans to enroll in full-time studies at CMU (minimum 12 credit hours per semester).
  • Students must have a CMU entrance average of no less than 80%.
  • Current and/or recent past leadership involvement (see below).
  • Is a Canadian citizen, Canadian permanent resident, or refugee.

Application Requirements

Please upload all materials through your application portal.

Detailed Résumé
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Submit a detailed résumé. Include the following areas of involvement as they relate to your area of leadership and achievement, starting from your grade ten year. Some areas may not apply to you.

  • Summary of Qualifications: Use this section to tell us what qualities you possess that make you a good leader

    • Relevant Experience: This section should include your experience as a leader from the following areas:

    • School leadership activities, club and/ or organization involvement and areas of volunteer involvement (e.g. drama club, yearbook committee, etc.)

    • Church leadership activities or areas of church involvement

    • School leadership activities

    • Sports

    • Music related involvement such as band, choirs, orchestra, musicals

    • Any paid work experience

    • Camp involvement

  • Additional Work and Volunteer Experience: This section should include any paid work experience or volunteer experience where you have not had a direct leadership role but that has contributed to your personal growth and development

  • Awards and Recognition Received: This section should include any relevant awards or recognition you have received (e.g. honour roll, scholarships, work awards, music awards, athletics accomplishments)

  • Education: This section should include any education you have received

  • Interests: This section should include any personal interests and hobbies that you feel are important for the awards committee to be aware of.

    Please use the Sample Leadership Resume as a guide.

1,000-Word Essay on Leadership
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Submit a 1,000-word essay (approx. four pages, double-spaced), which includes all four sections listed below. Please use examples where appropriate and cite at least three academic sources to support your thinking.

  • Describe what a good leader is (approx. 400 words).

    • What are two or three qualities you believe every good leader should have?

    • Explain why each quality matters. For example, does it help them build trust, solve problems, support others, or handle conflict?

    • Can you think of a leader that fits this description?

  • Now, think about yourself as a leader (approx. 200 words).

    • In what ways have you already developed these qualities?

    • Are there any of these qualities you feel you haven’t developed yet or are still working on?

    • Share a specific example of a time you tried to lead—this could be in school, sports, work, family, clubs, or your community.

      • What challenges or barriers did you face?

      • How did you respond, and what did you learn from that experience?

  • Consider your faith or spirituality (approx. 200 words).

    • How does your faith, spirituality, or personal beliefs shape the way you think about leadership? For example, do your beliefs influence how you treat people, make decisions, or respond when things go wrong?

  • Look ahead to your time at CMU (approx. 200 words).

    • In what ways do you hope to grow as a leader at CMU?

    • What kinds of experiences are you interested in (clubs, campus jobs, student council, athletics, etc.)?

    • What specific leadership skills do you want to strengthen or discover in yourself?

Two References
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Request two references to be submitted on your behalf. The reference forms will be automatically sent to your selected references at the time of form completion.

Scholarship Applications and supporting materials must be submitted by February 28 to be eligible. The Scholarship Application is available to CMU applicants on their application portal.

In order to renew this scholarship each year

  • Annually, write a 1,000-word essay summarizing how you have given leadership at CMU during that year and discussing how you plan to be a leader at CMU in the coming year.
  • Participate in the leadership scholarship mentor program.
  • GPA of 3.5.
  • Enrolled in a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester at CMU.

Please Note: Each year, Merit Awards ($2,000 per year for up to three years) are given to students upon entering CMU. A student may apply for a Leadership Scholarship and also for one or all of the Merit Awards. However, students who are selected for a Leadership Scholarship cannot be selected to receive Merit Awards (Academic, Music, Science, Business, or Athletic).