Annual AAHAB Scholarship
The Aurora African-American Heritage Advisory Board (AAHAB) provides annual scholarships to college-bound African-American students. The AAHAB scholarship is named in honor of trailblazing Auroran Mr. Henry Cowherd and the recipients of the scholarships are deemed Cowherd Scholars.
The Application must be completed in its entirety and submitted as one packet. Failure to do so will result in your application being incomplete and disqualified from the selection process.
In order to ensure the scholarship’s integrity, applicants must meet all requirements in order to be deemed an ELIGIBLE CANDIDATE.
Eligibility Requirements:
- Current high school senior
- Minimum 2.50 GPA on a 4.0 scale (3.50 GPA on a 5.0 scale)
- Be of African American descent
- Be an Aurora Resident or attend school in Aurora
- One signed reference letter from an educator or counselor of your high school
- One signed reference letter from an organization you have volunteered for or with on the organization's letterhead
- Personal essay explaining in 500 words or less how you will use your education to advance the African American community (Times New Roman, 12 pt font)
- Current Resume (use sample resume as example)
- An official high school transcript: Online from high school or transcript service to AAHABScholarship@gmail.com OR directly to the Mayor's Office, 44 E. Downer Place, Aurora, IL 60505.
Please note that a packet will be sent to scholarship awardees requesting additional documentation for distribution of funds, such as a copy of the college acceptance letter, official class schedule, W-9 Form or ITIN#, etc.
All Scholarship applications must be received by February 10, 2026.
Eligible Candidates will be notified by February 24, 2026 and final scholarship award notifications will be announced in May 2026.
Online Application