Preparing West Virginia’s New Drivers: Building Safer Habits Behind the Wheel Scholarship
At West Law Firm, our Charleston personal injury lawyers want to make it easier for students to pursue their ambitions at any accredited college, university, or graduate program in the United States.
Qualifying students can apply for the new Preparing West Virginia’s New Drivers: Building Safer Habits Behind the Wheel Scholarship today. What steps can new drivers take to prepare themselves for the responsibilities of driving?
This scholarship, valued at $3,000, can help students alleviate their financial stress ahead of their upcoming collegiate semester.
Complete the application form on this page, along with an essay, by May 15, 2027, to qualify for a chance to win.
Application Requirements
Applicants must:
- Be enrolled full-time at an accredited college, university, or graduate school in the United States.
- Have a minimum GPA of 3.0
- Complete all of the necessary application materials
- Agree to the scholarship’s terms and conditions
- Be a United States citizen
While West Law Firm will give preference to students in West Virginia, we invite students from all around the country and in all areas of study to submit their applications for consideration.
Application Process
Please complete the application form on this page to apply for the Preparing West Virginia’s New Drivers: Building Safer Habits Behind the Wheel Scholarship. Then, write an essay of no more than 1,000 words addressing the essay topic below.
You must submit your essay as a PDF by May 15, 2027, to qualify for this scholarship.
Scholarship Essay Topic
In a short 500-1,000-words essay, discuss how factors such as distracted driving, technology, changing road conditions, and inexperience can affect new drivers, and explain what habits or preparation strategies can help them make safer decisions behind the wheel.
If you have been involved in or witnessed a car crash, whether as a driver, passenger, pedestrian, or bystander, we encourage you to share that experience, what you learned from it, and what you wish you had known when you first started driving.
If you have not experienced or witnessed a crash, you may instead write about a close call, a crash that affected someone you know, or the lessons you’ve learned as a new driver that you wish someone had told you sooner. Please do not include the full names of other people involved or details of any ongoing insurance claim or lawsuit.
What to Include in Your Scholarship Essay
Please include the following:
- A catchy and original title
- A bibliography where you mention all citations and sources of information used (e.g., books, sites; articles, magazines, reports, etc.)
- Proper formatting (double-spaced with 12-point font and 1-inch margins)
Do not use AI to generate your essay.
Once finished, please make sure that you save your essay in PDF format and name it using the following format: “[Scholarship Name and Year] – [Student Name].”
Scholarship Deadline
Students have until May 15, 2027, to complete and submit their applications for consideration. Unfortunately, applications received after this deadline will not be taken into consideration. Likewise, the scholarship selection committee will not consider incomplete applications.
Please do not contact West Law Firm with questions about the status of a student’s application.
Terms and Conditions
All applicants to this scholarship must meet the eligibility requirements as laid out on the scholarship application page, including:
- Applicant must be enrolled at a college, trade school, university, or graduate school.
- Applicant must be at least 18 years old at the time of enrollment.
- Applicant must have residency in the United States.
- Applicant must be in good academic standing.
- Applicant must submit some personal information, such as name, contact information, and academic information (including expected date of graduation, name of university or college, and U.S. citizenship status).
- Applicant must author an original essay on the scholarship topic provided.
Anyone who meets the following conditions is NOT eligible to apply:
- Employees or children of employees of West Law Firm
- Past recipients of the Preparing West Virginia’s New Drivers: Building Safer Habits Behind the Wheel Scholarship
- Applicants who are unable/unwilling to be interviewed by a representative of West Law Firm if they were to be awarded a scholarship.
- Applicants who submit the same essay for multiple scholarships or for multiple years in a row
Selection and Award Notification Process
Age, race, religion, gender, national origin, familial status, or other protected classes will have no influence on the committee’s decision. West Law Firm wants to award its Preparing West Virginia’s New Drivers: Building Safer Habits Behind the Wheel Scholarship based on students’ unique qualifications and experiences.
Students who do not meet the eligibility criteria will have their applications removed from consideration, as will students who submit their applications after the submission deadline passes. Students who do not submit complete application packets will not be considered for the Preparing West Virginia’s New Drivers: Building Safer Habits Behind the Wheel Scholarship.
The scholarship selection committee reserves up to three months after the scholarship deadline passes to consider students’ applications. Brooks West of West Law Firm, with the help of the West Law Firm team, will select the final scholarship winner. Then, a firm representative will reach out to that student and arrange for their winnings to go to the academic institution of their choosing.
Privacy Statement
Your personal information will not be given, sold, or distributed to third parties.
We reserve the right to use the winners’ names and photos in any announcement or communication related to the Scholarships, on West Law Firm’s website, in marketing materials, or in social media posts. By submitting your application, you agree to our public use of your name and image.
The scholarship recipient will be invited to record a short (60-120 second) video sharing the message of their essay. Participation is completely voluntary and will not affect the award. With the recipient’s written permission, West Law Firm may feature the video on its website and social media.
Previous Winners
West Law Firm looks forward to celebrating the achievements of its Preparing West Virginia’s New Drivers: Building Safer Habits Behind the Wheel Scholarship recipients here.
Lance Bork