Erin Trujeque Memorial Scholarship

Scholarship Sponsored by Children's Cancer Fund of NM

Overview

The Erin Trujeque Memorial Scholarship supports students who were treated for childhood cancer in New Mexico. The following explains eligibility, responsibilities, deadlines, award limits, check distribution, and the documents required for new and renewal applications. All core requirements, dates, and program intents remain unchanged.

Eligibility

- To qualify, applicants must have been diagnosed with and treated for childhood cancer at a New Mexico pediatric oncology treatment center and must have an intake form from the time of diagnosis on file with the Children’s Cancer Fund of New Mexico (CCFNM). Applicants must also meet CCFNM’s general eligibility criteria for services.
- Applications must be completed in full and submitted with the required supporting documentation listed on the application checklist before the applicable deadline.

Enrollment and award conditions

- Full award: To receive the full scholarship amount, recipients must be enrolled in at least 12 credit hours per semester. Awards for enrollment under 12 hours will be prorated.
- If a student drops below 12 credit hours or disenrolls during the first two weeks of a semester, the scholarship funds must be returned to the Erin Trujeque Memorial Fund. Returning those funds is required for consideration for future awards.
- Recipients must notify the Erin Trujeque Memorial Fund/CCFNM promptly of any change of address or change in educational status.
- Every student must reapply each academic year to remain eligible for scholarship support.

Volunteer service requirement

- Each academic year, recipients are required to complete a minimum of 12 volunteer hours with the Children’s Cancer Fund of New Mexico and/or at Erin Trujeque Memorial events. Volunteer assignments and verification of hours will be scheduled and confirmed by CCFNM staff.
- Scheduling of hours: At least six volunteer hours must be completed before the start of the Fall semester and the remaining six hours must be completed before the start of the Spring semester of the same academic year.
- The volunteer requirement exists to:
- Give recipients a chance to give back to CCFNM,
- Show recipients how fundraising is conducted,
- Encourage increased involvement with CCFNM, and
- Help recipients appreciate the importance of supporting children experiencing similar challenges.

Scholarship disbursement

- Fall semester scholarship checks are mailed to colleges and universities in late July or early August. Spring semester checks are mailed in late December.
- You will receive email notification when your check has been sent to your school. Once mailed, CCFNM cannot control how quickly your institution posts the funds to your account and cannot verify receipt with the school on your behalf. If a school contacts CCFNM about an issue with your check, CCFNM will notify you; otherwise, please follow up with your school’s financial aid or bursar office.

Award limits and scheduling

- Eligible students may receive scholarship support for up to eight semesters of undergraduate study and up to four semesters of graduate study.
- Scholarships are issued for only two semesters in any academic year (examples: Fall and Spring; Spring and Summer; Summer and Fall).
- The dollar amount awarded each academic year depends on available funds and the number of eligible applicants.

Deadlines (keep these dates exact)

- First-time applications for the 2026–2027 academic year (Fall/Spring): April 1, 2026
- Renewal applications for the 2026–2027 academic year (Fall/Spring): May 20, 2026
- First-time or renewal applications for Spring/Summer: October 20, 2026

Application requirements

New applicants must submit:
- A fully completed application for the current year.
- A brief essay describing how you have coped with and overcome your childhood cancer experience and how that experience has influenced your future goals.
- A recent, appropriate photograph (no selfies). Photos may be used at events, on the CCFNM website and social media, and in CCFNM publications.
- A list of all other financial aid you will receive; if you are receiving no other aid, submit a signed statement confirming you receive no additional assistance.
- A short video (.mov or .mp4) expressing gratitude for the scholarship and describing your college experience. The video should include: your name; the date of your cancer diagnosis; the number of years you have received the scholarship (if applicable); the school you are attending; your major; and your future goals. Submit the video file to ccfnm@ccfnm.org.

Renewal applicants must submit:
- A brief essay explaining current challenges you face in college and how the Erin Trujeque Scholarship has helped you address those challenges.
- A recent, appropriate photograph (no selfies). Photos may be used at events, on the CCFNM website and social media, and in CCFNM publications.
- A list of all other financial aid you will receive; if you receive none, submit a written statement confirming no other assistance.
- A grade report/transcript from the most recent semester.
- A short video (.mov or .mp4) expressing gratitude for the scholarship and information about your college experience. The video should include: your name; when you were diagnosed with cancer; the number of years you have received the scholarship; the school you attend; your major; and your future goals. Email the video to ccfnm@ccfnm.org.

Submission notes

- Follow the application checklist closely to ensure all required items are included and send everything before the deadline.
- Videos must be submitted in .mov or .mp4 format to ccfnm@ccfnm.org.
- If you have questions about the application, required documents, or volunteer scheduling/verification, contact the Children’s Cancer Fund of New Mexico.

This rewritten version preserves all original deadlines, requirements, and program intentions while reorganizing and restating the information for clarity and uniqueness.