For a 12th consecutive year, Simon Youth Foundation, a national nonprofit that provides educational opportunities for at-risk high school students, will award a college scholarship to one student from every community that is home to a Simon property, including The Shops at Riverside in Hackensack, New Jersey.

Simon Youth Foundation Community Scholarships are awarded through the Simon Youth Scholarships program and in partnership with local Simon properties.

The application period is open through Thursday, March 1, 2012. Locally, students can pick up a copy of a scholarship application at the Simon Guest Services Center at The Shops at Riverside. Applications also can be downloaded at the SYF website at www.syf.org/our-initiatives/scholarships/community-application.

Any student who will be graduating in the class of 2012 and lives within 50 miles of a Simon property is eligible. The program will award a one-time scholarship of up to $1,400 to students who plan to enroll in an accredited college, university, vocational or technical school.

In addition, 10 regional awards called “Award of Excellence” will be given to top candidates. The regions eligible are Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Dallas, Indianapolis, Miami, New York, Orange County (CA), Orlando and Seattle/Tacoma. Students from these areas will have the opportunity to win a $2,500 scholarship that is renewable for up to three years. In 2011, the Simon Youth Scholarships program awarded $1.15 million to 260 students nationwide.

“Our mission is to ignite hope for a brighter future in students, and our foundation is proud to partner with The Shops at Riverside to award scholarships that will remove some of the financial obstacles that would otherwise prevent a student from achieving the dream of a college education,” says J. Michael Durnil, Ph.D., the President and CEO of SYF.

The 2012 SYF Community Scholarship recipients will be selected by Scholarship Management Services, a third-party administrator. Students are selected based on a variety of criteria, including financial need, academic performance, leadership skills and participation in school and community activities. Those students who are the first in their family to pursue a post-secondary education also will be given close consideration.

The completed application, along with official school transcripts and parents’ most recently filed tax form, must be sent to Scholarship Management Services by March 1, 2012.

For more NJ education news, visit yourmorris.com.