St. Mike’s and WCAX to award three significant scholarships for community service

Saint Michael’s College and WCAX are awarding scholarships to prospective students who demonstrate compassion for others through service – a value shared by both organizations. 

Three students will receive a $20,000 scholarship to attend Saint Michael’s College, as part of the partnership, and then St. Mike’s will honor a $20,000 discount for the next three years for winners. That’s an $80,000 scholarship over four years. To be considered, students must submit an essay detailing their community service and apply to Saint Michael’s College. 

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Partners in Service 

St. Mike’s and WCAX are excited to offer these scholarships to local students as the partners share a commitment to serving the community and developing future leaders passionate about giving back.  

St. Mike’s was established in 1904 by the Society of Saint Edmund – a Catholic order of priests dedicated to service and social justice. Today’s students follow in the Edmundites’ long legacy of altruism, which has included feeding, healing, and promoting voter rights for the Black community of Selma, Alabama, during the Civil Rights Movement, among other acts of service around the globe. 

Saint Michael’s College student volunteers help volunteers from the Edmundite Southern Missions in Selma, Alabama, make meals at the Bosco Nutrition Center during a service trip in May 2025. (Photo by Callie Boisvert ’26)

St. Mike’s provides ample opportunities for students to engage in volunteerism through its Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts (MOVE) organization, public service as emergency responders through the St. Mike’s Fire and Rescue program, global citizenship through distinguished study abroad programs, and training for careers in humanitarian aid and diplomacy through the Peace Corps and the U.S. State Department. These programs augment the value of human kindness imparted to all St. Mike’s students. 

This scholarship opportunity comes as St. Mike’s expands its efforts to make its private liberal arts-based education accessible to a wider number of students. This fall, Saint Michael’s College launched its Flagship Match initiative for prospective students living out of state and several other initiatives for Vermonters, including the UVM Match and free tuition for Vermonters whose annual household income is under $100,000.  

Saint Michael’s Fire & Rescue student members work to extinguish a car fire during a Boot Camp exercise in August 2025. (Photo by Christina Cummings ’25)

“Service and access to education are two values deeply embedded in our College’s DNA,” said Saint Michael’s College President Richard Plumb. “Our students graduate with the skills, professionalism, and empathy needed to take on problems both big and small – something the world needs now more than ever. Scholarships like these being offered through our partnership with WCAX help put our transformative education within reach for all prospective students.”  

In addition to providing 42 hours of local news coverage each week to Vermonters, as well as northern New Yorkers and New Hampshirites, WCAX also sponsors dozens of community events, including the Vermont Annual Spelling Bee held at Saint Michael’s College.  

“When the opportunity to partner with Saint Michael’s College to provide scholarships for local students developed, it was the perfect chance for WCAX to serve our community directly by helping local students find a path to higher education,” said Jay Barton, Vice President and General Manager of WCAX.  

The cap of a 2025 graduate of Saint Michael’s College during Commencement in May 2025. (Photo by Jerry Swope)

Scholarship Details 

Students interested in the scholarship should submit a short essay (250 to 650 words) describing their commitment to community service and the ways their efforts have created meaningful impact or positive change. Eligible students include those within the WCAX Channel 3 viewing area from Vermont and parts of New Hampshire who are applying as incoming fall 2026 Saint Michael’s College students. Contest entrants can get a code to apply for free to St. Mike’s on the contest page on the WCAX website. 

Essay submissions should be made to WCAX at wcax.com/scholarship between November 10, 2025, and February 21, 2026. Saint Michael’s College will choose the three scholarship winners, and the announcement will be made by WCAX in mid-March, coinciding with March Madness excitement. 

For winners, scholarship money may be applied to St. Mike’s tuition, as well as room and board costs, and comprehensive fees. Other scholarships may be combined with this offer, up to the total amount for these three expense categories. Overflow scholarship funds cannot be converted to cash.