ANSWER Scholarship applicants must meet the following criteria (Note: Applicants who have already earned a 4-year degree are not eligible to apply). Be a %u201Cnontraditional%u201D female student age 25 or older at the time of the application deadline. Applicants may be married or single. Be the primary caregiver to at least one school-age child (enrolled in grades Pre-Kindergarten %u2013 12). This includes natural born, legally adopted children or children for whom legal guardianship has been granted. The children must live in the home with the applicant. Be U.S. citizens, including foreign-born U.S. citizens, and legal residents of one of the following counties: Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Stanly or Union in North Carolinas or Lancaster or York in South Carolina. Be enrolled or plan to enroll as a full-time, degree-seeking student at an accredited institution in Mecklenburg and surrounding counties, seeking a first-time bachelor's degree in any subject, a two-year nursing degree, or a two-year degree in CPCC's Health Careers Program or Information Technology. Recipients are not eligible to receive scholarship monies if attending a for-profit school. ANSWER has a stellar graduation rate because all scholarship recipients are provided with a mentor for the duration of the scholarship and are required to participate in our Mentors For Mom Program. This includes attendance at the Mentors For Mom workshops held one Saturday a month during the months of September, October, November, January, February and March. These workshops include programs on professional, career and personal development. Learn more about the program at Mentor For Mom. Recipients must maintain satisfactory performance (a G.P.A. of 2.5 or above) and meet the following mentoring requirements: Have contact (phone, email, or an in person visit) once a month with an assigned mentor. Attend the Mentors For Mom workshops and also an annual luncheon in May honoring new graduates.