About the Scholarship Program
The Samsung American Legion Scholarship was endowed by Samsung Corporation in 1996 through the American Legion to benefit the direct descendants of U.S. veterans as a gesture of appreciation to those who aided in defending South Korea from North Korean and Chinese aggression. Each Boys and Girls State program selects a state finalist from among its participants. State finalists move to the national level competition. Each year 10 National Scholars received $10,000 scholarships, 10 National Runners-up received $5,000 scholarships, and the remaining finalists received $1,250 scholarships. Louisiana Boys State has had Citizens recognized at each level of the competition in the last 10 years, with our most recent National Scholar $10,000 award winner being Nathan Alvarez of New Orleans in 2017.
Eligibility Requirements
To apply for the Samsung American Legion Scholarship, a student must be:
- A high school junior
- A direct descendant (i.e. child, grandchild, great-grandchild, or legally adopted child) of a U.S. veteran who served during a period of war
- A delegate to either an American Legion Boys State or American Legion Auxiliary Girls State program.
A detailed explanation of eligibility requirements may be found online through the American Legion website.
Completing the Application
The Samsung American Legion Scholarship application must be completed online prior to arrival at Louisiana Boys State. Therefore, all application materials for 2025 must be complete and submitted electronically prior to check-in at SLU on June 22, 2025.
The online application may be found at: http://www.legion.org/samsung-scholarship-application
Tips for Applying
- Gather required documentation such as veteran’s discharge papers early in the application process so that you can be sure to have all of the necessary information available and ready for submission.
- Incomplete and/or unprofessional applications will be rejected. The number one reason for rejected applications is incomplete documentation detailing descendant eligibility.
- Review the entire application before completing it. If a field is left blank, it will count against you. If you cannot answer a question, put a reason in the field.
- Proofread your answers and essays in this application in addition to having at least one other person proofread your application. Spelling errors or poor writing skills will have a negative effect on your chances of receiving the scholarship.
