Every year, Georgetown’s Alpha Phi Omega fraternity draws on their nearly 60-year history of service and philanthropy to give back to members of the Hilltop community in the form of two $1,500 scholarships awarded to Hoyas in need of financial assistance.

APO receives as many as 40 applications annually for the Power Scholarship. According to APO’s Vice President of Communications Elizabeth Meerson (COL ’11), scholarship applicants are subjected to a rigorous evaluation.

“Our criteria are based on which students are most in need of the scholarship, as well as which students have shown a commitment to and passion for service. We ask that the applicants also provide an unofficial transcript because this is a merit-based scholarship, and it is, in fact, competitive,” Meerson said.

Applicants remain anonymous throughout the selection process, and recipients are notified a week after the application deadline. Financial Services then deposits the $1,500 directly into the winners’ MyAccess accounts.

“It is always important for Georgetown University groups to provide scholarships to the student body because this builds the sense of community on our campus,” Meerson said.

While all students are encouraged to apply, special preference is awarded to juniors and seniors seeking financial aid.

“This scholarship is our opportunity to reward students for their academic efforts and passion for service. We give the scholarship to people who are specifically not in APO because we want the university to get a chance to experience and benefit from our service program.”

Named after one of APO’s honorary members, the Rev. Daniel Power Scholarship is available to Georgetown undergraduates who embody the school’s founding principle of service for others – the same ideal on which APO’s Georgetown chapter was founded in 1956.

Power came to the university in 1937 and served as a government and history professor and administrator. He was also an advisor for the Georgetown chapter of APO. Additionally, he served as a U.S. Army chaplain for three years during World War II.

Following his retirement in 1972, Power co-founded D.C.’s WETA-TV public television station and made frequent radio appearances to deliver Sunday Mass.

APO made Power an honorary brother in Georgetown’s Mu Alpha chapter of the fraternity for his service on the organization’s behalf, Following his death, Power’s friends and family began a scholarship fund in his honor.

Scholarship applications are available now through Monday, Nov. 29, and can be accessed by contacting APO at apomualphagmail.com.

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