Stand Up to Distracted Driving Scholarship

Scholarship Sponsored by Kanoski Bresney

Overview

Description: Distracted driving, including texting and other cell phone use, causes hundreds of thousands of accidents and injuries in the United States each year and disproportionately affects teen and young adult drivers. Kanoski Bresney established the Stand Up to Distracted Driving Scholarship to support students who work to reduce this problem. The program awards multiple scholarships to U.S. students pursuing undergraduate or graduate studies or to high school seniors entering college. This section summarizes the program purpose and target audience.

• Addresses distracted driving and its impact on young drivers.
• Scholarship supports students who raise awareness or work to prevent distracted driving.
• Open to college students and incoming freshmen in the U.S.

Eligibility

Eligibility: Applicants must be U.S. citizens who are either currently enrolled in an accredited undergraduate or graduate program in the United States, or high school seniors who will begin college in Fall 2026 or Spring 2027. Current students must plan to continue their education through the Fall 2026 or Spring 2027 semester. Applicants must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. Meeting these criteria is required to be considered for the scholarship.

• U.S. citizen status required.
• Current undergraduates/graduate students or high school seniors entering Fall 2026/Spring 2027 eligible.
• Minimum overall GPA of 3.0.

Award Value

Award Value: The program awards five scholarships of $1,000 each to selected recipients. Awards are intended to support undergraduate or graduate education costs. Specific disbursement details and tax considerations are not provided in the source material. Recipients will be selected from eligible applicants who meet the program requirements.

• Five awards available.
• Each award is $1,000.
• Intended to support higher education expenses.

Application Instructions

Application Requirements: Applicants must submit a 1,000-word essay responding to: "How has distracted driving affected your life? What ideas do you have to raise awareness of the dangers of distracted driving and prevent this behavior among young drivers?" Essays should be double-spaced, use 12-point font with one-inch margins, and be saved as a .doc, .docx, or .pdf file named with the applicant's first and last name. In addition to the essay, applicants must provide a current academic transcript and contact information including full name, phone number, mailing address, and email address.

• Essay: 1,000 words, double-spaced, 12-point font, one-inch margins.
• File formats accepted: .doc, .docx, .pdf; filename must include first and last name.
• Submit current academic transcript and full contact information.