Mt. Baker Leaders Scholarship – $2,000

The Mt. Baker Leaders Scholarship addresses the needs of individuals who have interest in the vocational/trade sector (including apprenticeships) within a transportation-related field.

Applicant Qualifications:

• Minority (African American, Hispanic, Native American, Asian, etc.)
• Enrolled in an accredited community or technical college in pursuit of an associate’s degree or vocational diploma/certification.
• Note: Students seeking apprenticeships must be a participant in a program/institution to which the committee can disburse the funds (i.e. for classes, materials, etc.). Award funds cannot go directly to the recipient.

Washington State Ambassador Scholarship – $ 2,500

COMTO WS established the Washington State Ambassador Scholarship to encourage individuals to pursue career paths related to public policy or public administration in transportation or a related field.

Applicant Qualifications:

• Minority (African American, Hispanic, Native American, Asian, etc.)
• Enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at an accredited institution
• Pursuing a degree in public policy or public administration.

COMTO Washington State Founders Scholarship – $2,500

In honor of the founders of COMTO Washington State and their devotion to mentorship and service, this local scholarship is to address the needs of individuals who face financial challenges to pursuing either undergraduate degrees or certification awards.

Applicant Qualifications:

• Minority (African American, Hispanic, Native American, Asian, etc.).
• Enrolled in an undergraduate program at an accredited college or university.
• Extracurricular activities in mentorship and/or community service.

Mt. Rainier Graduate Scholarship – $5,000

Established in 2018, the purpose of this scholarship is to encourage individuals to pursue career paths in transportation.

Applicant Qualifications:

• Minority (African American, Hispanic, Native American, Asian, etc.)
• Enrolled in a graduate program at an accredited institution
• Pursuing a transportation-related field such as public administration, planning, engineering, communications, construction management, etc.

Sponsored Scholarships – Various

Additional scholarships sponsored by COMTO member agencies and firms may be available. All applicants to the scholarships above will automatically receive consideration for these scholarships.

Eligible applicants will, at a minimum:

• Be a graduating high school senior or current post-secondary student entering as a freshman, sophomore, junior, senior or graduate student, enrolled in an accredited college, university or a vocational/trade school.
• Be in good educational standing with at least a 2.8 cumulative GPA.
• Be a permanent resident of Washington state (may attend college outside the state).
• Be a U.S. citizen, VISA or green card holder with authorization to attend school in the United States.
• Complete the full COMTO Washington Scholarship Application and submit said application prior to the deadline.
• Be enrolled in an accredited college, university or vocational-technical institution in the term following the scholarship award with a major or minor in a transportation-related field.

• freshman
• sophomore
• junior
• senior
• graduate

• US Citizen
• Permanent Resident

Electronic submittals are encouraged but not mandatory. For electronic submittals, please scan and submit all application materials to: scholarship@comtowashington.org

To mail applications, please email scholarship@comtowashington.org for the appropriate mailing address. Due to many of our staff working off-site the email will notify us that your application is being mailed and we can collect it from the office.

COMTO WS is not responsible for the completeness of the application if materials arrive separately either by mail or email.

Application Materials

A single submission should contain all items listed below. Applicants can send additional documents in the submission that they feel support or demonstrate application criteria. If you have questions regarding the application or materials please contact scholarship@comtowashington.org

• Application
• Download and complete the application; must include the name of the requested scholarship. If the applicant does not identify a scholarship, their application will not receive consideration.

• Proof of enrollment for the term following the award.
• Can be an official acceptance of enrollment offer from the institution or proof of registration for the indicated term.
• Can be a class schedule that clearly demonstrates a student is enrolled for that term (must include dates indicating correct enrollment year/term)
• Can be a receipt for deposit or tuition payment for the spring or fall term of the award year.

• Most recent transcript from a high school, GED program, college, university or vocational/trade school.
• This should clearly state the applicant’s cumulative GPA of 2.8 or higher.
• This does not have to be an "official" copy of the transcript; however, the transcript must be recent and clearly demonstrate courses completed, associated grades (or pass/fail) and courses in progress.

• Personal essay
• Essay should be approximately two pages, double-spaced in a 12-point font.
• Should have correct grammar, spelling, a cohesive flow of ideas, and answer the essay question.
• Content should demonstrate applicant’s future career goals related to the transportation industry as well as other information speaking to the character of the student.

• Document(s) demonstrating career-related activities
• This may be a resume, portfolio, project report, certifications, etc. that clearly demonstrates a student’s activities related to their career goals, whether completed as part of or separately from their educational instruction.

• Document(s) demonstrating school and community engagement
• This may be any documents that demonstrate engagement such as volunteer work, awards, recognition, extra-curricular activities (noncareer related), jobs or other similar engagement.

• Letter(s) of recommendation
• At least one letter for all scholarships except for the Mt. Rainier Graduate scholarship, which requires two.
• Should demonstrate the relationship between the candidate and the person writing the reference.
• Should speak to the applicant’s relevant work, character or other reasons why the applicant should receive the award.
• Please refrain from submitting letters from immediate family members or friends.

• Evidence of financial need
• Can be a FAFSA student aid report (SAR) - please remove or black out your Social Security Number (SSN) or other sensitive information.
• Can be the financial aid award letter or statement from the college/institution’s financial aid office indicating remaining balances and/or noncovered expenses for the upcoming or current term.

• Any additional documents that support or demonstrate aspects of the application that the student wishes to include.

If you have questions regarding the application or materials please contact scholarship@comtowashington.org