Student Life and Leadership

Students of Distinction Scholarship

Each year twenty (20) students are honored and publicly recognized for their outstanding achievement at the Students of Distinction Scholarship Banquet, sponsored by Student Life and Leadership.
Overview
The 69th Annual Students of Distinction Scholarship honors twenty (20) students from Fullerton College who represent the “best of the best” and are recognized for their outstanding achievements on Friday, May 1, 2026 at 6:00 PM in the Dining Hall in Cruz Reynoso Hall, Building 200.

Each student who is selected to receive this prestigious award will receive a scholarship sponsored by Associated Students, Dr. Janet and Henry Emoto, Schlinger, Students of Distinction, District Management Association, the Friends of Fullerton College Foundation, and other donors from our community.

Scholarship Categories
Students at Fullerton College who display qualities of leadership, individuality, distinctiveness, integrity, honor, and excellence may apply for the prestigious Students of Distinction scholarship award in any of the following categories:

  1. Academic Achievement
  2. Competitive Achievement
  3. Personal Achievement
  4. Service Achievement

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

The student who competes in this category must have demonstrated outstanding academic performance and meet the following criteria:

  • Minimum 3.75 Cumulative GPA (High Honors in accordance to FC Graduation Requirements)
  • 27 units completed at Fullerton College at the time of nomination and shall be graduating and/or transferring by the end of Spring 2026
  • Currently enrolled in credit classes at Fullerton College during Winter/Spring 2026
  • Not a previous Student of Distinction recipient

COMPETITIVE ACHIEVEMENT

The student who competes in this category must have shown and performed outstanding individual performance through competitions representing a team and/or group at Fullerton College and on behalf of the College, and meet the following criteria:

  • Minimum 2.75 Cumulative GPA
  • 27 units completed at Fullerton College at the time of nomination and shall be graduating and/or transferring by the end of Summer 2026
  • Currently enrolled in credit classes at Fullerton College during Winter/Spring 2026
  • Not a previous Student of Distinction recipient

PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENT

The student who competes in this category must have persevered and successfully overcome severe hardships and challenges on their educational journey, and meet the following criteria:

  • Minimum 2.75 Cumulative GPA
  • 27 units completed at Fullerton College at the time of nomination and shall be graduating and/or transferring by the end of Summer 2026
  • Currently enrolled in credit classes at Fullerton College during Winter/Spring 2026
  • Not a previous Student of Distinction recipient

SERVICE ACHIEVEMENT

The student who competes in this category must have dedicated unpaid volunteer service to the College and/or their community through leadership activities and/or service work related to an official Fullerton College club and/or student organization in good standing, and meet the following criteria:

  • Minimum 2.75 Cumulative GPA
  • 27 units completed at Fullerton College at the time of nomination and shall be graduating and/or transferring by the end of Summer 2026
  • Currently enrolled in credit classes at Fullerton College during Winter/Spring 2026
  • Not a previous Student of Distinction recipient
How to Apply- Applications are now OPEN

Three (3) Steps:

  1. Request two letters of recommendation from a Fullerton College staff members (faculty, manager, or classified). Refer them to this website for further guidelines on Letter of Recommendation submissions
  2. Submit an application- Applications Open January 14, 2026
  3. Check for Application Submission Verification Email and any updates from the AS@Fullcoll.edu email.

Applications for Scholarships are now open!

For Academic Achievement, please Apply Here

For Competitive Achievement, please Apply Here

For Personal Achievement, please Apply Here

For Service Achievement, please Apply Here

Fullerton College faculty, staff, and/or managers who are serving on any of the Selection Committees are not allowed to write letters of recommendations.

If you need to download your unofficial transcripts, please refer to this Unofficial Transcripts Guide for a step-by-step guide.

Letters of Recommendation
Faculty, staff, and managers who are not serving on any of the Selection Committees may write letters of recommendation for scholarship applicants.

Students must submit two letters of recommendation in their application.

Letter of Recommendation Guidelines can be found here, in the Letters of Recommendation Guidelines Sheet for formatting, rules, and recommendations.

Faculty, managers, and staff members who are writing letters of recommendation for applicants can email As@fullcoll.edu with any questions

Short Answer Prompts
Each scholarship category has a corresponding short answer question that must be submitted at the end of each application.

Students may only apply for one scholarship category, please refer to the prompts below before choosing the scholarship category that best fits you as a student.

Students must submit only one Short Answer response. All formatting and guidelines can be found here, Students of Distinction Short Answer Guidelines

Short Answer Prompts:

Academic Achievement: Describe a significant academic challenge you have faced and how you overcame it. What motivated you to keep striving for excellence and continue your dedication to learning? What did this experience teach you about yourself and your goals?

Competitive Achievement: Tell us about a time you represented Fullerton College in a competition and stood out through your performance. What was the competition about, what was your role, and how did you contribute to your team or group’s success? Share what you learned from the experience and how it shaped your growth, teamwork, or pride in being a Hornet.

Personal Achievement: What major challenges or hardships have you faced on your academic journey, and how did you overcome them? How do you plan to use your experiences to contribute to your school or community?

Service Achievement: Describe your experiences volunteering or serving as a leader through a Fullerton College club, student organization, or community service project. What motivated you to get involved, and what impact did your efforts have on others? Share how your service has helped you grow as a leader, community member, and student.

Selection Committee
Each Student of Distinction scholarship category will have a Selection Committee comprised of members from Faculty Senate, District Management Association, Classified Senate, and the Associated Students.

The Selection Committee will choose five (5) deserving students who will each be designated as a Student of Distinction in each of following categories:

  1. Academic Achievement
  2. Competitive Achievement
  3. Personal Achievement
  4. Service Achievement

Students with the highest scores overall from each category will be forwarded to a Final Selection Committee, which will choose the top two students who will each be awarded “Distinguished Student of the Year” and receive an additional scholarship.

All Top 20 students who receive the Students of Distinction Scholarship will be given the opportunity to audition to be a student speaker for the Fullerton College Commencement Ceremony on May 30, 2026.

Deadline: Wednesday, March 11 @ 5 pm
Application opens: January 14, 2026

Deadline: March 11, 2026

Previous Scholarship Recipients