Is it possible to get left handed scholarships, You heard this somewhere but you just can’t believe it. I mean, who would give you money to go to school just because your dominant hand is your left hand, Left handers throughout history have gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to respect and admiration. Left handers have had to fight stereotypes like being called weird or slower to learn than a right hander.
Some notable left handers who have proven these stereotypes to be incorrect are Albert Einstein, Babe Ruth, Oprah Winfrey and President Barack Obama, just to name a few. In fact, the three of the last four presidents have all been left handed. Being left handed has not stopped these people from becoming incredibly successful in their lives. In fact, Oprah has said that when she was young she always knew she would do great things. She has and is now one of the richest people in the world.
More left handed people with success stories include “Muppets” creator Jim Henson, guitarist Jimi Hendrix, singer-songwriter Sir Paul McCartney, comedians Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno, actor Bruce Willis, and politicians Al Gore and Colin Powell.
There is a small, liberal arts college in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, called Juniata College that tries to do away with these stereotypes and celebrate the left handed people of the world, or at least the ones who attend Juniata College. This small unassuming college has a scholarship available that offers left handed sophomores, juniors and seniors with excellent grades, and who can prove financial need, from $1,000 to $1,500 per year to assist in their education. There are no other left handed scholarships to be had in the whole country.
Frederick and Mary F Beckley started the scholarship in 1979 with a bequest of $24,000 because Mary was left handed and had been a student at Juniata College. Frederick Beckley was also a student at Juniata College and also left handed. They met in 1919 while attending Juniata College and were paired together in a tennis class because the class instructor and coaches didn’t have a clue what else to do with them. No one had yet heard of Rod Laver apparently. They were married in 1924. Other tennis greats who were left handed are John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova.
Approximately ten percent of the population of the United States is left handed which makes competition for the Beckley scholarship very steep at Juniata, although the college does not make the students prove they are left handed. They say they don’t even watch the student sign the application form. The Beckley scholarship is the only scholarship available for left handed people in the entire country and cannot be transferred to any other school. Don’t feel “left” out if you are looking for funding for school check out Juniata College.
So whether you are right handed or left handed scholarships and grants are available to continue your education but the only one specific to left handers is at Juniata College.
