Is there anything this guy can’t do right? His global fame spans from his rapping, record producing, acting, writing and his superstar wife, Beyonce. As if that weren't enough, JAY Z is also a philanthropist who has started a foundation that awards students a brighter future.

The opportunities are available through the Shawn Carter Foundation, a charitable organization that was officially established in 2003 by Shawn and Gloria Carter.

As with most of his projects, JAY Z (Shawn Carter) goes all out to ensure that the foundation bearing his name is a success. [gate]

Gloria Carter, also known as JAY Z's mom, was the originator of the idea. “I sat down and talked to my son and I said listen, there are a lot of urban kids whose issues are not being addressed. You have kids who do have a high GPA and a lot of them have a desire to continue their education. Let us be unique and do what no one else does. It is not just about getting into college; it is about getting through it. He said, ‘okay, let’s do it,’” she said.

What began as a foundation granting one student full college tuition in 2002, the organization has grown exponentially through the years, awarding students a total of more than $1.3 million dollars.

His take? “Sometimes, people just need the opportunity to be great. We created the scholarship foundation to be an opening of a door; the first step in a new direction. No one should be cheated out a chance at success just because they can’t continue their education. I want to do my part so anyone that really wants it has a chance to achieve their dream,” said JAY Z.

According to the foundation’s web site, the mission of the Shawn Carter Foundation “is to help individuals facing socio-economic hardships further their education at institutions of higher learning.”

The foundation also offers Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation College Tours, an initiative that began in 2005. Out of the college tour applicants, more than 73 percent will be the first generation college students.

Scholarships are awarded to all types of students, from single mothers to the previously incarcerated. The main qualification is desiring a higher education. Other qualifications are pretty lenient, too. In order to be eligible, one must be a high school or college students or be between the ages of 18-25 and have personal or socio-economic setbacks.

Students chosen as Shawn Carter Scholars are given financial support from admission to graduation. The support even includes financial support for books and other college expenses, in hopes that students’ college plans remain on track if their finances are provided.

Shawn Carter Scholars attend more than 100 institutions throughout the United States and more than 750 students have received awards from the foundation since it was created.

Click here to learn more about scholarship opportunities with the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation or to apply to become a Shawn Carter Scholar.

Curious if people actually win scholarships through Fastweb? They absolutely do and here’s another $40k winner to prove it!

Daniel Guerriero, 19, is going into his sophomore year at University of South Carolina who won GotChosen's GotScholarship $40k Give Away. [gate]

How many scholarships did you apply for before you won this one?

I only applied to a few, around 4 or 5.

So, tell us a little about your application process for the scholarship you won.

I was with my friend and he was looking on Fastweb. I didn't know what it was and asked him. He explained what Fastweb was and said I should try it out – he had gotten some opportunities through Fastweb and thought I could use it too.

If someone that sponsors you, they have the choice of transferring it to me or keeping it for themselves.

After receiving his invitation to become a sponsor, Daniel’s cousin, Carmela, signed up. Her name was chosen at random as the winner the second scholarship offered by GotChosen, Inc.

Though Carmela is currently pursuing her Masters, she selflessly decided to transfer the scholarship to Daniel instead of keeping it for herself.

What scholarship advice would you give to other students?

“Just apply! It doesn't take too much time and it really helps out. You might not get everything but you never know - you might get something.”

The Melanie Foundation Scholarship is available to students who are pursuing a doctoral or master's degree in the mental health field. [gate]

To be considered, you must demonstrate past involvement in extracurricular, volunteer, research, and/or career-related activities.



Deadline: 3/4/13



Website: Melanie Foundation Scholarship.

The Adult Students in Scholastic Transition "ASIST" Scholarship is open to non-traditional students who are past high school age and entering college for the first time or students who are re-training. [gate]

You must demonstrate financial need, be at least 18 years old, and reside in the boundaries of an Executive Women International (EWI) chapter (a complete list is listed on EWI's Web site) to qualify for this award.

You must also be socially, physically and/or economically challenged and have clearly defined career goals and objectives.



Deadline: Rolling



Website: Adult Students in Scholastic Transition "ASIST" Scholarship.

The American Chemical Society Scholarship is available to African-American, Hispanic/Latino and Native Americans who are enrolled in an accredited college, university or community college full-time. [gate]

You must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, demonstrate financial need, and be majoring in: chemistry, biochemistry, chemical engineering, environmental science, materials science, toxicology.

A minimum 3.0 GPA is required.



Deadline: 3/1/13



Website: American Chemical Society Scholarship.

The U.S. Bank Scholarship is available to high school seniors and college undergraduate students. [gate]

You must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to be eligible for this award.



Deadline: 5/31/13



Website: U.S. Bank Scholarship.

The AFSA High School Essay Contest is open to all high school students. [gate]

In order to apply, you must submit a 1,000 to 1,250 word essay.

The essay should focus on you imagining that you are a U.S. Ambassador, explaining what you as a diplomat would do, using the resources available to you as Ambassador, to improve the relations between the U.S. and your country of choice (Burma / Myanmar, Greece, Haiti, India, Kenya, Libya), and how the major foreign policy differences between that nation and the United States might best be handled in our national interest.



Deadline: 4/15/13



Website: AFSA High School Essay Contest.

The Research Internship is open to students with an interest in research and data analysis.[gate]

Intern duties may include helping with household data from Africa, data analyses, literature reviews, helping with references and preparing articles for publication.

You must have a bachelor's degree and one to three years of experience, knowledge of MS Office and SAS and/or Stata in order to be considered for this internship.



Deadline: Rolling



Website: Research Internship – American Cancer Society.

The AACT John Kitt Memorial Scholarship is available to sophomore, junior, and senior students who have a demonstrated interest in confectionery technology. [gate]

To be eligible, you must be majoring in food science, chemical science, biological science, or a related field at an accredited four-year college or university and have a minimum 3.0 GPA.



Deadline: 4/12/13




Website: AACT John Kitt Memorial Scholarship.

The Publicity Internship is available to students at Victory Records.[gate]

You must have an interest in how publicity in the music industry works and a general knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel and database software.

Interns will organize and maintain press kits, draft and proof press releases, send promotional materials to promoters and execute tour press send outs, data entry and viral video promotion.



Deadline: Rolling



Website: Publicity Internship – Victory Records.

There's an award listed on your scholarship opportunities page that's a perfect match for you. But applying for it keeps slipping to the bottom of your to-do list. Why the procrastination? It's worth a measly $500. Tuition at an average, public, four-year college costs more than $12,000 per year, so you're not going to bother going after a few hundred dollars.

That's a costly mindset.

Remember, scholarships are free money that you won't have to pay back.

Let's say you don't bother with that $500 scholarship today. Tomorrow you'll find yourself on campus in need of $500 for books, or computer software, or lab fees.

What are your options?

Borrow $500: Whether you borrow the money you need now through a student loan or use a credit card, you'll have to pay that money back, with interest tacked on. If you swipe your plastic and then take one year to pay off $500 at an interest rate of 17 percent, you'll pay $47.23 in interest. Or if you add it to your student loan balance, by the time you've paid it off that $500 may have cost you $1,000.

Earn $500: You could find yourself a part-time job. It'll take you 62 1/2 hours at $8 per hour to make $500, and that's before taxes. Compare that to a couple hours spent filling out a scholarship application.

So, what might seem like a lot of work for $500 now can actually save you from having to do a lot more work for that money in the future.

The economy is tanking. College tuition costs are rising. And somehow, you have to pay for college. Your only hope in paying for a higher education is with scholarships.

Being recognized as a valedictorian is totally out of the question. After taking the SAT three times, your results revealed limited improvement…and weren't even that great to begin with. There is no need, however, to limit yourself to university-specific scholarships. Outside scholarships may seem like a far fetch…but they're not as far as you think.

Service clubs, companies, and charities give out about $2 billion in private scholarships each year. Roughly 1 million students receive these monies--meaning 1 out of 13 students wins a scholarship. The average of these scholarships is $2,000. So are you ready to start looking?

Athletic Scholarships. Granted, this is only going to apply to a select few, but athletic scholarships don't require a whole lot of brains. Rather, the importance lies in physical talent and drive.

Artistic Scholarships. There are plenty of art-specific scholarships available for students who do the research. Additionally, artists can use their skills to apply for non-artistic scholarships. Oftentimes, judges are looking for creatively convincing applications for "average joe" scholarships--think film, dance, song lyrics, paintings, etc.

Minority Scholarships. These scholarships are typically reserved for students from financially unprivileged backgrounds and ethnicities. Though these scholarships are not necessarily based on grades, they do require community service or athleticism--anything that sets you apart from the crowd.

Employee Scholarships. If you think your summer job is just a way to finance your love for video games or fashion, you're wrong. Many employers, whether yours or your parents, offer scholarships to students just because of the relationship that exists between the two.

Wacky Scholarships. There are scholarships out there that are wacky enough for any high school student. Think Duck Calling and Duct Tape Prom Dresses. It just requires a little legwork in finding these scholarships. And by legwork, we mean typing "wacky scholarships" into a search engine. Was that too hard?

There is no reason that any student should pay full tuition for college. It just takes time and work to find ways to pay up. Remember, updating your FastWeb profile increases your chances of being matched with some of the types of scholarships mentioned above. So get on it!

The National High School Oratorical Contest is open to junior high and high school students who are under the age of 20 and citizens or lawful permanent residents of the United States. [gate]

You must prepare an oration on some aspect of the U.S. Constitution, with some emphasis on the duties and obligations of citizens to our government.

A complete list of topics are available on the Legion's Web site.

Each individual state winner certified into and participating in the first round of the national contest receives an additional $1,500 scholarship.



Deadline: Rolling



Website: American Legion National High School Oratorical Contest.

I'm about to dispel five widespread myths about winning scholarships. Myths that have, unfortunately, prevented many deserving students from winning money for. By learning the truth behind these myths, you'll gain a better understanding of the essential "rules" of the college scholarships game.

MYTH #1: "Only students with high academic achievement win merit scholarships."

The Real Story: Scholarships are awarded to students with all sorts of talents and interests. In fact, many of the best scholarship programs are designed for students who devote time and energy to such diverse fields as music and the arts, foreign languages, community service, science, leadership, writing and oratory, to name just a few. Typically, these programs are entirely "grade blind"—meaning that grades are not used as a judging criteria.

Furthermore, many scholarships that do take into account grade point averages (GPAs) only use such quantitative measures as preliminary cutoff points. For instance, some scholarship contests specify that applicants have a minimum 2.0 GPA. Once you've cleared this minimum bar, grades don't impact your chances of winning.

Finally, even when GPA is used as an evaluation factor, it's only one aspect of your application. Scholarship programs aren't myopic: They want to recognize students with all sorts of achievements and backgrounds. They realize that applicants have much more to offer than simply the grades that appear on their transcripts.

MYTH #2: "Scholarship applicants should seek to compile the longest list of extracurricular activities."

The Real Story: As is the case in many other aspects of life, winning scholarships is about quality, not quantity. Some people think that to win these awards you must devote your entire high school career to participating in extracurricular activities. On the contrary, most scholarship winners distinguish themselves by the devotion they have demonstrated to a particular activity or activities, rather than by the sheer quantity of their involvement. Winning scholarships isn't about having the longest list of extracurriculars. It's about communicating who you are and what you care about through the activities you participate in and enjoy.

MYTH #3: "Scholarship contests are conducted on a level playing field."

The Real Story: Each scholarship contest has its own biases. This is not to say that scholarship judging is unfair. Rather, it's just that each scholarship program is looking for students with particular qualities. The subjective process of valuing certain qualities over other ones tilts the playing field far from level. In this way, the ideal application you submit for one scholarship contest may, in fact, place you out of the money when submitted to another. Because of these biases, it's essential to define each scholarship's "ideal applicant" and to emphasize personal attributes consistent with this definition.

MYTH #4: "Applying for scholarships is just like applying to college."

The Real Story: Actually, scholarship contests demand a modified approach from the college admissions process because scholarship contests are characterized by substantially more head-to-head competition. While college admissions officers compare students primarily to a standard, scholarship contests directly compare students to one another. Because of this more competitive environment, students who devise creative techniques to stand out from the crowd have a distinct advantage. In this way, a good scholarship application (which distinguishes you from everyone else) will likely be a good college application—but the reverse is not necessarily true.

MYTH #5: "The track record you've already accumulated determines whether you'll win scholarships."

The Real Story: What you do after you decide to apply for scholarships is just as important as the record you have already accumulated. This holds true regardless of how much time you have until a particular scholarship application is due. Content strategies, for instance, increase your chances of winning by adding depth and breadth to your existing record. Likewise, packaging strategies help make your application stand out from the crowd by creating a cohesive message that highlights talents, communicates passions, and emphasizes potential. So don't fall into the trap of thinking that your die has already been cast. What you do now will make all the difference in the world.

The Don Kuhn Memorial Scholarship is available to graduate students who are pursuing a career in non-profit direct / interactive marketing. [gate]

You must have a minimum 3.0 GPA to be eligible for this award.



Deadline: 5/31/13



Website: Don Kuhn Memorial Scholarship.

The ADHD National Scholarship is available to undergraduate students. [gate]

You must have been diagnosed with attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder and be under the care of a licensed health care provider to be considered for this award.

Selection will be based on community service, volunteer and extracurricular activities, and a personal essay describing how ADHD has impacted your life.



Deadline: 3/27/13



Website: ADHD National Scholarship.

The Women's Opportunity Award is available to female students who have overcome enormous obstacles including poverty, domestic violence, and/or drug and alcohol abuse. [gate]

You must be enrolled in an undergraduate or vocational / skills training program to be eligible for this award.



Deadline: 3/27/13



Website: Women’s Opportunity Award.

The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes is available to students age 18 and younger who have organized and led a service activity that has clearly benefited other people. [gate]

Your service activity must have been initiated and motivated primarily by you and cannot have been an assignment for school or work. Additionally, you must demonstrate a positive spirit and high moral purpose.

To be considered, you must be nominated by an adult who has solid knowledge of your service activities and is not related to you.



Deadline: 4/30/13



Website: Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes.

The Associate Product Manager Internship is open to students currently pursuing a BA/BS or MA/MS in Computer Science and graduating in 2013.[gate]

Intern duties may include understanding and analyzing user needs, helping to define a product vision and strategy and working with engineers to build and launch new features.

To be considered, you must have excellent written and communication skills, strong organizational and analytical skills, strong technical abilities, capacity for developing and understanding strategy and deep interest in creating and analyzing products.



Deadline: Rolling



Website: Associate Product Manager Internship.

The Heroes' Legacy Scholarship is available to full-time students who are the dependent children of those who have died or have become disabled through their active military service since September 11, 2001. [gate]

You must be unmarried and under the age of 23 to be eligible for this award.

A minimum 2.5 GPA and a 500-word essay are also required.



Deadline: 3/15/13



Website: Heroes' Legacy Scholarship.