The 2024–2025 Mildred Ramos Scholarship award Winner Robert Cole Deaso of Dominion High School in Sterling, VA.
In addition to his insightful essay, Cole has a remarkable record of academic achievement (4.33 GPA), extensive community volunteer service, and is an Eagle Scout, an accomplished athlete and youth soccer coach, and has had a diverse range of summer work experiences. He has been accepted to the University of Virginia, School of Human Development, Kinesiology beginning Fall 2025 and has a clear goal of becoming a physical therapist, driven by his personal experience in overcoming. a serious back injury earlier in life. |
The chosen 2025 scholarship recipient is Robert Cole Deaso of Dominion High School in Sterling, VA. Cole and his mother, Dawn, attended the Virginia Society’s Spring Meeting in Staunton. He presented his essay, “The Financial Struggles of the Plymouth Colony: Causes and Solutions”. Committee members were most impressed with the high caliber of Cole’s research and essay, which demonstrated a particularly solid understanding of the challenging economic situation the Pilgrims faced in the early years of their New England experience.The 2023–2024 Mildred Ramos Scholarship award Winner
MAxwell Snarr
Read The Winning Essay
This year’s scholarship winner is Maxwell Snarr, a senior at Briar Woods High School, in Ashburn, Virginia. Maxwell has a 4.52 GPA and is in the top six percentile of his class. As a Dual Enrollment student, he also takes US History and English courses at Northern Virginia Community College. His extracurricular activities include serving as the Wharton Investment Club Founder and President, facilitating a multi-school Model United Nations Conference at Briar Woods, and serving as the French National Honor Society Vice President. His community service includes serving as the Vice President for Innovation Drive where he coordinates food drives for Loudoun Hunger which assists those with food insecurity; and as a Bishop’s Assistant in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints providing Christmas presents for needy children and gifts for veterans. Maxwell is committed to attending Brigham Young University this fall.
SCHOLARSHIP
The Mildred Ramos Scholarship Fund was established in 2012 to encourage and support the study of the Mayflower Pilgrim experience and values. It was named to honor Miss Mildred Ramos, who served as Governor of the Mayflower Descendants in the Commonwealth of Virginia and Governor General of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants. In keeping with the intent of the scholarship the award is for $1,620.
ELIGIBILITY
- Applicant must be a high school senior or home school equivalent, a college undergraduate student, or a university graduate student under the age of 26 (as of March 17, 2025) enrolled in an accredited educational institution.
- Applicant must have a grade point average of at least B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or equivalent.
- Applicant must be a Virginia resident, related to a Virginia resident, related to a member, or a member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
- Applicant must be sponsored by a current teacher, school counselor, or a member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Note: Members of the immediate families (i.e., children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, sons-in-law, or daughters-in-law) of members of the Virginia Mayflower Society’s Board of Assistants or of its Scholarship Committee are not eligible for scholarship awards.
APPLICATION PROCESS
- Applicant must present a brief personal resume including a description of their academic, extracurricular, and volunteer achievements.
- Applicant must present a brief statement on their future academic plans and how being awarded this scholarship will advance their plans.
- Applicant must present a copy of their official academic transcript for the preceding three years.
- Applicant must submit an essay of no more than 1,500 words in the MLA, APA, or Chicago Manual of Style format on the subject:
What were the factors that caused the Plymouth founders to be in debt and unable to repay their loans for so many years? What different decisions could they have made to remedy the debt problem?
- Suggested readings:
-
- Davis, William T., Editor. Bradford’s History of Plymouth Plantation 1606-1646. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1908.
- Bunker, Nick. Making Haste From Babylon: The Mayflower Pilgrims and Their World. Knopf, New York, 2010.
- Heath, Dwight B., Ed. Mourt’s Relation: A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth. >Applewood Books, Bedford, MA, 1963.
- Each applicant’s essay must include a list of all reference sources used to prepare the essay. Scholarly sources are recommended (e.g., history textbook, journal article, historical non-fiction, government document, encyclopedia). Print references must include full citations including page numbers. Wikipedia, Wikis, Blogs, and the like are not acceptable references. On-line references must include electronic addresses
- Use of spellcheck, grammar check, etc. is highly recommended.
- Inclusion of text from other sources without citation / footnote is unacceptable and potential cause for disqualification.
- Application materials may be submitted in “hard-copy” printed form or submitted digitally via an e-mail attachment to the Scholarship Committee Chairman.
- Each applicant’s Sponsor must send a brief letter endorsing the applicant. The letter must also contain the name, address, telephone number, and e-mail of the applicant, as well as those of the Sponsor. The Sponsor should send the letter directly to the Scholarship Committee Chairman.
JUDGING CRITERIA
Applications will be judged by the Mildred Ramos Scholarship Committee based on their compliance with the eligibility requirements, on their academic record, and on their essay. The judging is based on a point system, with the essay being weighted higher than academic record. The Committee’s decision will be final.
DEADLINE
- Applications must be received by the Mildred Ramos Scholarship Chairman by Saturday, March 17, 2025.
- The Mildred Ramos Scholarship Committee will meet before April 1, 2025, to select the winner of the scholarship.
- The recipient of our 2025 Mildred Ramos Scholarship will be informed by the Governor of the Mayflower Descendants in the Commonwealth of Virginia by Friday, April 18, 2025.
CONTACT
Application materials and Sponsor letters should be sent to:
Christopher M. Bates
Mildred Ramos Scholarship Chairman
12525 Erroll Lane
Bristow, VA 20136-2121
or email him at: Bateschapelhill@aol.com
PDF document containing the above information: MILDRED RAMOS SCHOLARSHIP -2025 Website Announcement (12-30-24)
READ THE THE PREVIOUS WINNING ESSAYS
- 2023-2024 Scholarhip recipient winning essay
- 2022 Scholarship recipient winning essay
- No Scholarship was awarded in 2020 or 2021
- 2019 Scholarship recipient winning essay
- 2018 Scholarship recipient winning essay
- 2017 Scholarship recipient winning essay
- 2016 Scholarship recipient winning essay
- 2015 Scholarship recipient Brenton Morris' winning essay
- 2014 Scholarship recipient Bailey Hall's winning essay
- 2013 Scholarship recipient Julie Guthrie's winning essay
- 2012 Scholarship recipient Nicholas Aunspach's winning essay
Recent donors to the Mildred Ramos Scholarship Fund are listed in each issue of our newsletter.
Members currently serving on the Scholarship Committee are Mark Cox, Lee Hardin Woody, Karen Pogoloff, Meg Averett, Martha Ellen Traband Brockner, and Nancy Saul.
Other Mayflower scholarships are available from the General Society of Mayflower Descendants as well as from several of the Mayflower state societies. Visit the General Society of Mayflower Descendants website.)
A Brief Biography of Miss Mildred Ramos
MILDRED RAMOS was elected to membership in the Mayflower Society in April 1967 on Stephen Hopkins’ line.
In 1970, the Virginia Society created the position of Assistant Historian, and she was elected to that office. In 1973 she was elected to a three-year term as Governor (and Assistant Governor from Virginia). She helped organize the state Education Committee and Virginia became actively involved with the educational program of the General Society.
In 1975 she was appointed to chair the General Society’s Education Committee, and she chaired that committee through Feb. 1979. Mildred also conducted the first Education Seminar in Plymouth at the 1978 General Congress, which was well attended and favorably received.
In 1976 she was elected Deputy Governor General and in 1978 she was elected Secretary General of the General Society serving four consecutive terms, or 12 years. In 1988, she was elected Deputy Governor of the Virginia Society and served in that office for three years. She also served as Junior Membership Chairman during those years.
In 1990, she was elected Governor General of the General Society, serving a three-year term. As a former Governor General, Mildred continues to serve on the General Board of Assistants and on the Nominating Committee, which she has chaired three times.
In the Virginia Society, Mildred served as Assistant Secretary from 1997 through 2020. She holds a dual membership in the District of Columbia Society.
Mildred was born in Richmond, Va. in 1926, and she traces her Mayflower ancestry through her father’s family to both Thomas Rogers and Stephen Hopkins. Other interests Mildred has enjoyed over the years include other heredity societies, church choirs, the Richmond Opera Group, community theater groups, the Canterbury Garden Club and the Quota Club, a professional women’s organization. Since retiring, she has enjoyed other volunteer work and working with pottery at Westminster Canterbury Richmond.