Pedro Zamora Young Leaders Scholarship

Scholarship Sponsored by National AIDS Memorial Grove

Overview This scholarship honors the legacy of Pedro Zamora — the late AIDS educator and health and social justice activist — by supporting young leaders who are taking action on HIV/AIDS and related health and social justice issues. The award is $5,000 per recipient. Why this matters HIV/AIDS is shaped by many social and health inequities. Young people who are working urgently to change those systems — whether their work is directly about HIV/AIDS or focused on related health, racial, or social justice issues — are part of the same movement. We want to lift up students whose passion, lived experience, and leadership reflect that urgency. Award details - Amount: $5,000 per scholarship. - Scale: Each of the previous 25 awardees received $5,000. This year we plan to award another 25 scholarships. - Geography: Open to applicants who study or reside in the United States. - History: The program launched in 2009 and has grown to include students working at many intersections of public health and justice. Who should apply This scholarship is intended for young people who are actively engaged in change-making and who can show how their academic, extracurricular, or career pursuits align with health and social justice work. If you are urgently working on progressive change — even outside of explicit HIV/AIDS efforts — you should consider applying. Eligibility (quick summary) - Current high school seniors, first-year college students, sophomores, or juniors. - Age 27 or younger. - Work and activities that demonstrate public service, leadership, and a commitment to HIV/AIDS-related work and/or community justice. Examples of the kinds of work we support (Non-exhaustive) - HIV/AIDS research, prevention, treatment access, and activism - Public health and health justice initiatives - Reproductive health programs - Peer education, prevention, and community resource work - Racial justice and immigrant rights advocacy - LGBTQ+ equality and rights work - Efforts to reduce gun violence - Environmental justice projects - Drug policy and sentencing reform - Employment, economic justice, housing, and homelessness initiatives - Technology solutions that advance justice work Application integrity and your voice Tools like ChatGPT can be helpful, but they can’t tell your story the way you can. Our application platform uses AI tools to identify possible plagiarism and AI-generated text in essay responses. We won’t automatically disqualify an application for having used AI, but we do record AI-use percentages and consider them during review. Put your own voice into your answers — your personal experience, motivation, and vision are what matter most. Selection process A panel of judges will review applications to confirm that: - All questions and prompts are addressed thoughtfully, - Required documents are uploaded, and - Eligibility criteria are met. Before you apply Read the full Application Requirements carefully so you know what to submit and how your essays will be evaluated. Tell your story clearly and honestly — that authenticity is central to the selection committee. If you’d like, I can help you tighten an essay draft or brainstorm ways to highlight your leadership and impact.