<p>So I was recommended by my principal to apply for a county-wide leadership award/scholarship and so I did. Over the weekend, I received word that I won second place, and that I would receive my award/scholarship at the organization's gala and fundraiser next weekend. I had already made plans to be at a Model UN conference weekend, in a different state 4 hours away and I'd be leaving that Friday morning and coming back Sunday night.</p>
<p>When I replied back asking if my parents could go to receive the award on my behalf, they said that when I submitted my application with my signature, it was an agreement that I would be present at the gala to receive the award, and that if I'm not, then it would be revoked. It would be impossible for me to go to the gala if I went to the conference as well, yet I have already paid the money for the trip and I was the organizer of it. This is our delegation's first time at the conference and I was the advocate for it, along with being the vice president.</p>
<p>Does anyone have any suggestions about possible actions I could take? The organization said I needed to get back to them by tomorrow night as to whether I could attend or not so I'm in a pickle.</p>
<p>Don’t get your scholarship revoked over a MUN conference. I respect your sense of responsibility but your team should be able to compete without you – and they should be understanding of your inability to attend as well.</p>
<p>I would definitely agree with you, but if I didn’t go, I would still be paying to refund my delegation for the spot that I backed out of, since we are short on female members going in the first place. Also, I guilted my best friend into going, and she only relented because I was going, because we were short one member going and would be losing money so I would feel really terrible if I dropped and left her.</p>
<p>If the organization made it clear that submitting the application was an agreement by you to be present when the scholarship is awarded, then you will have to be present to receive the scholarship. This happened to my daughter once when she was awarded a state-wide scholarship named for a national sports hero who was presenting the award. If she could not be there to receive the award, the award would be presented to someone who could be there. We made sure she was there.</p>
<p>If you paid more than $250 for the conference…then go to the conference. Write the scholarship people a nice letter that thanks them for awarding you this scholarship but that you have an obligation to be part of this conference you are attending. BUT thank them anyway…you don’t want to burn your bridges.</p>
<p>If the terms of the scholarship agreement were clearly stated (i.e., you had to attend the gala in order to receive the award), then you have just 2 choices. Either you attend the gala and accept the award, or you attend the conference and forfeit the award.</p>
<p>If you do decide to forfeit the award, do as thumper advises and write the organization a very polite note thanking them and explaining why you cannot be there.</p>
<p>I would also keep in mind that although a $250 scholarship isn’t ‘that’ much, it will look better on a resume than having attended one more MUN conference.</p>
<p>Ahh, but the MUN conference is going to be a blast (I suspect). This is one of life’s hard choices. You have to decide between the conference/team and the scholarship. Will you hate yourself if you are sitting there, eating rubber chicken, waiting for your name to be called while your friends are at the conference?</p>
<p>Talk it over with your folks and team members and then decide. You can’t have this one both ways. Sorry.</p>
<p>Congrats on being chosen for the award! It sounds as if you’ve made a firm committment to your teammates and I think you should ask them before you even consider bailing to accept the scholarship. It’s one of those times when you’re going to have to decide what your personal code of honor is…for me, it would be to honor the committment I’ve already made unless those relying on that promise released me from it. It would certainly show more maturity and leadership and avoid the potential loss of friendships!</p>
<p>If you were my child, I would encourage you to honor the MUN commitment. I wouldn’t even think twice about that. And the lack of the $250 scholarship on your “resume” is not a consideration, IMO.</p>
<p>To be honest, I think the scholarship organization is being ridiculous.</p>
<p>Thank them. Tell them that you didn’t realize that you would have this schedule conflict at the time you applied for the scholarship, and that you regret that you won’t be able to attend because of that conflict. Then go to the MUN conference.</p>
<p>Oh, and next time, be sure to read the fine print in any application! If you had, you might have seen that these two events were scheduled at the same time, and that could have made a difference in your application process.</p>
<p>I lol’ed at this; it reminded me of the Olsen twins in New York Minute (yet the award was far more significant). Morally, it would be wrong to have someone accept the award posing as you, and I would say go to the MUN conference. The scholarship committee is being unreasonable, and you would have more fun with your fellow delegates. </p>
<p>There will be bigger scholarships, and other chances for the limelight/recognition right? ;)</p>
<p>“To be honest, I think the scholarship organization is being ridiculous.”</p>
<p>It appears that applicants were informed ahead of time about the attendance requirement. If an organization is giving away money, it can establish any odd requirement as it sees fit. My child received such a scholarship, awarded in the name of an elderly former athlete and coach whose name would be recognized by anyone with any basic knowledge of that athlete’s sport. The athlete was presenting the award and was not in the greatest of health. The organization expected the recipients to attend- meeting this person was much more memorable for my D than the $1000 she received. I understood why the organization wished the recipients to attend-it was out of respect for the person for whom the scholarship was named.</p>
<p>Please go to the MUN conference. As a participant in several scholarship committees, none ever insist a student be present to further our media moments. Guests at the gala/fundraiser would be just as happy to see a nice “video thank you” if they have capability to produce one. </p>
<p>MUN conference weekend will be an incredible experience that will never be replaced with a $250 check. Never. Write the organization a kind note, apologize for the unintended conflict, and decline the award if they insist you appear. Please don’t look back - you could earn that money over the summer using skills you might learn at MUN!</p>