Scholarship Information
For Immediate Release
The Hampton Roads Estate Planning Council is pleased to announce its scholarship for an honorary one-year membership in the Council, which includes attendance to our five dinner and educational meetings. The scholarship shall cover the fiscal year of July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025.
The intention of our scholarship is to raise awareness of estate planning as a career path for students studying accounting, finance, and law, as well as to provide those students with meaningful networking, mentorship, and potential employment opportunities.
Students from Regent University, Virginia Wesleyan University, Norfolk State University, and Old Dominion University are eligible to apply.
Respectfully,
Leigh J. Cason
President,
Hampton Roads Estate Planning Council
HAMPTON ROADS ESTATE PLANNING COUNCIL
SCHOLARSHIP OF MEMBERSHIP
Estate planning is the process of anticipating and arranging for the protection, orderly administration, and disposition of a client’s wealth in accordance with their wishes, upon the occurrence of major events such as birth, marriage, divorce, incapacity, and death. Significant attention is paid to minimizing taxes and administration expenses. Estate planning requires the knowledge of state property, probate, and trust laws; and federal and state income, gift, inheritance, estate, and generation-skipping transfer tax laws.
The purpose of the Hampton Roads Estate Planning Council (“HREPC”) is to promote the multi-disciplinary approach to estate planning by supporting its Members; encouraging cooperation among Members to create a thorough and comprehensive estate plan for their clients and a better understanding of the role each Member plays in the process; and to provide education and learning opportunities for its Members and to increase public awareness of the importance of estate planning by a team of professional advisers.
The HREPC members include professionals in the following fields: accounting, law, financial planning, trust administration, planned giving, and insurance, as well as allied professionals. The HREPC meets five times per year (typically the third Tuesday of the month, every other month – excluding July – from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.) for dinner and a one hour continuing education presentation.
The Hampton Roads Estate Planning Council is pleased to announce its scholarship for an honorary one-year membership in this Council, which includes an invitation to attend each of our five dinner and educational meetings (value of $275). The scholarship is being offered to students from the following schools: Regent University, Virginia Wesleyan University, Norfolk State University, and Old Dominion University. The scholarship shall cover the fiscal year July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025.
In order to be eligible, a student must:
- Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0.
- Be studying or have studied accounting, finance, or law/prelaw.
- Be either:
a.In final year of a bachelor’s degree during the school year that covers the period of the scholarship at one of the universities listed above;
b.Attending a business or accounting master’s program during the school year that covers the period of the scholarship at one of the universities listed above; or
c.Attending Regent University School of Law during the school year that covers the period of the scholarship.
- Be 21 years of age or older as of September 2024.
- Submit the Applicant Information and Certification & Official Release form, copy of official transcript, and a brief essay of 500 words or less answering one of the following questions: (1) What interests you about exploring estate planning as a career? (2) How does estate planning fit in with your studies and career aspirations at this point?
- Agree to manage your schedule to the best of your ability in order to attend all five dinner/educational events (September, November, January, March, and May).
Applications are due by May 1, 2024. Scholarship awards will be announced shortly thereafter.
Submission Checklist:
- Applicant Information and Certification & Official Release Form
- Copy of Transcript
- Essay
Please Note - Applications will only be accepted electronically. Email all materials to admin@hrepc.org. If you have questions regarding the application, please send them to admin@hrepc.org.
Applicant Information
Full Name: ___________________________________________________________________________
Address: _____________________________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip: _______________________________________________________________________
Contact Phone Number: _________________________________________________________________
Email Address: ________________________________________________________________________
Name of School: _______________________________________________________________________
Field of study (Accounting, Finance, Law, Prelaw): ___________________________________________
Anticipated Degree: ____________________________________________________________________
Expected Graduation Date: ______________________________________________________________
Current Cumulative Grade Point Average: _________________________________________________
Will you be 21 years old on or before September 2024? ____Yes ____No
Certification & Release
By signing this form, I certify that all the information in this application packet is complete, accurate, and my original work.
Furthermore, if awarded the Hampton Roads Estate Planning Council Scholarship of Membership, I agree to:
- Give the Hampton Roads Estate Planning Council the right to release my name, school, and town in which I live in promotional materials (website, newspapers, etc.).
- Give the Hampton Roads Estate Planning Council the right to use my photo in promotional materials.
- Manage my schedule to the best of my ability in order to attend the five dinners/educational events.
Signature ___________________________________________________________ Date_____________
Congratulations to our 2024-2025 Scholarship Recipient- Jodi Barder
Jodi is attending Regent University's School of Law. She will be graduation in 2026 with her JD.
Congratulations to our 2023-2024 Scholarship Recipient- William Saville
William is a student of the Strome College of Business at Old Dominion University. He will be graduating in the fall with a dual bachelor's in Accounting and Finance. William is a member of ODU's chapter of the international honor society, Beta Alpha Psi, for which he acted as the social media chair in 2023. A native of Hampton Roads, William has an extensive record of volunteer service within his community, driven by his commitment to preserving the region's distinctive character.
Congratulations to our 2023-2024 Scholarship Recipient- Daniel Tekleab
Daniel Tekleab is a rising senior at Old Dominion University with a major in Finance. His passion for the industry began during the lockdown and is stronger than it ever was. Daniel has accumulated years of soft skills working in the fast-food industry and is building his hard skills currently interning at Dollar Tree. In his free time, Daniel likes weightlifting and training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai at Element Academy of Jiu-Jitsu. Please join us in welcoming Daniel Tekleab to the Hampton Roads Estate Planning Council.
Congratulations to our 2022-2023 Scholarship Recipient- May-Lee Melki Constantine
The Hampton Roads Estate Planning Council is pleased to announce the award of its second annual scholarship to May-Lee Melki Constantine. May-Lee is a 3L law student at Regent University and the winner of the Regent Cup 2021 Moot Court Championship. Prior to law school, May-Lee obtained a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management, and has extensive work experience in the nonprofit sector, including roles in Development, Fundraising, and Major Donor Relations. May-Lee has been advocating for displaced persons in her home country of Lebanon since she was a teenager, and is passionate about supporting the proper transfer of wealth to private parties and charitable organizations alike. Please join us in welcoming May-Lee to the Hampton Roads Estate Planning Council. Congratulations!
Congratulations to our 2020-2021 Scholarship Recipient- Morgan Thomas
Ms. Thomas, a Virginia Beach resident, is taking an accelerated program at Virginia Wesleyan University. She is in her third –and FINAL—year of studies for a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting. She is interested in financial advising and planning, and seeking an internship prior to graduating.