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Scholarships

Maria Caccavo Diversity Scholarship

Origins of the Scholarship

In 1993, Robert Allen, then Vice-President of Production Operations at Disney/MGM, began teaching a class in Film Business at the University Of Central Florida. Mr. Allen decided to donate his teaching proceeds to a fund created to promote diversity in the burgeoning, indigenous Florida film industry. The fund was originally established as the Disney/MGM Studio Diversity Scholarship Foundation. The intent of the scholarship was to provide money to traditionally underrepresented students who might not have the opportunity to pursue an undergraduate education without financial assistance. Additional, the scholarship was created as a means of attracting and retaining more diverse students to the University Of Central Florida's Film Program. In 1994, one of Mr. Allen's respected colleagues, Maria Caccavo, died of breast cancer. She was only 33 years old. Because of Maria's life embodied the best of the film profession and because she was a University Of Central Florida alumna, Mr. Allen decided to honor her memory by renaming the fund the Maria Caccavo Diversity Scholarship.

Eligibility

Any student who is in the Film, B.F.A. or Film – World Cinema, B.A. program is eligible to apply for the Scholarship. Preference will be given to those students who are traditionally underrepresented. Selection will be based on the faculty's assessment of the whole person based on the following criteria: GPA, accomplishments, and needs as expressed in a personal narrative.

Application Process

Notice: The Maria Caccavo Diversity Scholarship will not be offered for the 2012-2013 academic year.

Applicants must complete the Maria Caccavo Diversity Scholarship Application Form. Applications are accepted through the first week of August for awards to be granted in the following school year.

Download the Scholarship Application Form

Scholarship Award

A minimum of $1000 will be awarded to the scholarship recipient. It is possible that more than one scholarship will be awarded in any given year depending upon the amount of money available in fund.