2027 Ceili Leahy Service Scholarship

This scholarship honors the legacy of Ceili Anne Leahy, a member of the James Monroe High School (JM) Class of 2014. Ceili fought cancer with grace throughout her senior year at JM. After she graduated, she attended the University of Virginia. Ceili died in January 2016.

To encourage and support service-minded students to pursue further education the Ceili Leahy Service Project (CLSP) awards a yearly $2,500 scholarship to a JM senior who embodies Ceili's spirit of service.

Who May Apply?

All JM seniors with a 2.0 grade point average (GPA) or higher are eligible to apply. The scholarship is not academic or need-based. Please refer to the eligibility requirements below. The top applicants will be interviewed at JM by a Scholarship Selection Committee as part of the selection process. The scholarship is awarded at JM’s Senior Honors Assembly in May 2027.

Timeline for the Applicants:

August, 2026	The scholarship application will be available online as a Google form application.
Wednesday, March 31, 2027	The application deadline is Wednesday, March 31, 2027. Applications must be submitted on or before 6:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST) on March 31st. Applicants will be notified by email from TheCLServiceProject@gmail.com when their application has been received. Please add this email to your list of trusted contacts.
Mid-April, 2027	A Scholarship Selection Committee reviews all applications, and each application will be screened for the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Top applicants will be notified by email and asked to be interviewed at JM by the Scholarship Selection Committee. The interviews will take place after school on a date determined by the Committee.
May, 2027	The scholarship is awarded at JM’s Senior Honors Assembly in May 2027. The date and time of the Assembly will be determined by JM Administrators in the spring of 2027.

Ceili Leahy Service Scholarship Eligibility Criteria

• ☑ Must be a graduating high school senior attending James Monroe High School (Fredericksburg, VA) and a member of JM’s Class of 2027.
• ☑ Must have a minimum GPA of 2.0 to apply.
• ☑ Must submit the Google form application by 6:00 PM EST on Wednesday, March 31, 2027. Paper copies will not be accepted. Here is the Google form link for student applicants: https://forms.gle/NcVV1X8Eg6Wqj3DJ7.
  Applicants should save or print a copy for your own records before clicking the Submit button. The Google form also includes an Honor Pledge by the applicant to certify the application is entirely the work of the student applying.

Honor Pledge: I certify I am the sole author of this application, and I have completed it without the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI).

Scholarship Selection Criteria

This scholarship is awarded to a student who has made significant contributions through service to their local community and/or high school by demonstrating several of Ceili’s attributes described in the next section.

Additional consideration will be given to applicants who plan to pursue education and/or a career dedicated to public service, particularly in an area important to Ceili such as the environment, sustainability, human rights, global development, or realization of peace and justice.

Ceili’s Attributes

Ceili had a strong commitment to public service. She cared deeply about people, human rights, justice, the environment, and her Fredericksburg and JM communities. Ceili worked tirelessly to improve the human condition and the natural world. She was a great friend who had the ability to bring out the best in those around her, helping others to see the inherent goodness in themselves. She led through the passion she showed for her beliefs. She was creative, particularly in writing, and loved to laugh, travel, and learn about other cultures.

At JM, Ceili was president of the Amnesty International and French clubs. During her first year at the University of Virginia, Ceili was active with Habitat for Humanity, the Community Garden, and the Outdoors Club. She planned to serve in the Peace Corps and then pursue a career in global sustainability and writing.

Scholarship Use Requirements and Payment

• ☑ Scholarship funds may be used only for qualified educational expenses (tuition, books and fees, required supplies and equipment). Funds cannot be used for paying your room or board.
• ☑ The awardee must study at an educational institution that:
  • Has a primary function of presenting formal education,
  • Maintains a regular faculty and curriculum, and
  • Normally has a regularly enrolled body of students in attendance at the place where it conducts its educational activities. This could be a college, university, or trade, technical, vocational, or other school that is nationally accredited and authorized by law to offer its program.
• ☑ Scholarship funds are paid directly to the educational institution if the school agrees in writing to use the funds to defray the student’s qualified educational expenses.

If you are awarded the scholarship and change the accredited college, university, or trade, technical, vocational, or other school that you plan to attend, please notify the Ceili Leahy Service Project (via email) as soon as possible so we can redirect the funds and update our records.

If you do not attend an accredited college, university, or trade, technical, vocational, or other school or you dis-enroll before the cutoff date for a full refund, the scholarship will be voided and presented to the runner-up.

Please keep in mind the scholarship use requirements and payment protocols described above.

If you have any questions about the Ceili Leahy Service Scholarship, please contact Leslie Leahy at TheCLServiceProject@gmail.com or via phone/cell (540.645.8512). Please note: Leslie and John Leahy, President and Vice President of the CLSP, are not members of the Scholarship Selection Committee.

The CLSP furthers the legacy of Ceili Anne Leahy by fostering volunteerism and community service and helping to realize Ceili’s vision for a just, tolerant, and sustainable world. We support the $2,500 Ceili Leahy Service Scholarship, awarded to a JM senior who embodies Ceili’s spirit of service. We support Ceili Leahy Day of Service events sending scores of JM students to Fredericksburg City Schools and community nonprofit organizations in need of volunteers. We raise awareness of volunteer and community service opportunities. Learn more about Ceili and the CLSP at https://clserviceproject.org.