One of the many things that I love about my job as Foreclosure.com Director of Education is to deliver great news!

And that is exactly what I had the opportunity to do last week when we announced the winners of the 2011 Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program. The five winners — one grand prize and four runners up — were selected out of almost 10,000 applicants located throughout the United States. Our $5,000 grand prize winner was a freshman from Parsons — The New School in New York, N.Y., Cindy Clinton.

You can watch the video of our recent conversation above.

Cindy is a delightful, smart and witty woman who I enjoyed interviewing. She mentioned that she had seen our scholarship on FastWeb.com and had made a note to herself to apply before the deadline. I am always impressed when I see an organized young students who have plans and then work those plans.

If you are an undergraduate student and are looking for scholarships then you should not miss out on our 2012 topic. We are now in the process of accepting applications and the deadline is December 1, 2012. I would love to interview you this time next year!

Let’s see what you’ve got.

To read Cindy’s winning essay visit the Foreclosure.com Article Center right here. For more on the Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program, as well as to view the 2012 topic and eligibility/submission requirements, click here.

More than 10,000 current college students nationwide answered the call during the 2011 Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program, submitting essays of 800 to 1,000 words or more that answered the following question:

“You have acquired $150,000 in cash to be used specifically for a distressed real estate purchase such as foreclosures. Outline a detailed strategy that ensures the maximum return on investment, whether it is in terms of financial profit or personal satisfaction … or both.”

Cindy Clinton, a freshman at Parsons – The New School located in New York, N.Y., however, was voted to the head of the class by our panel of third-party judges, winning the $5,000 top prize.

“I am so grateful and excited to have been chosen,” said Cindy. “It is very challenging funding a higher education. Therefore, I thank Foreclosure.com for assisting students in achieving their goals by providing this scholarship. This award is a great financial help, putting me one step closer to fulfilling my dream of becoming a fashion designer. So, thank you, thank you, thank you!”

The program, which ran from Jan. 31 to Dec. 1, 2011, also awarded four $1,000 scholarships to the contest semifinalists (in alphabetical order):

• Glenn Bonadio from El Paso, Texas, attending El Paso Community College
• Zachery Eberl from Seattle, Wash., attending University of Washington
• Mishay Kalan from Washington D.C., attending Georgetown University
• David Katz from Los Angeles, Calif., attending University of Southern California

In addition to the five cash prizes in the form of scholarships, these winning entries will be featured on Foreclosure.com. To read Cindy’s winning essay visit the Foreclosure.com Article Center (www.foreclosure.com/articlecenter/foreclosure-com-scholarship-program-2011-winning-essay/). Essays from the other four semifinalists will soon be added to the website.

“The submissions continue to get better every year and our judges have met the task of picking exceptional essays,” said Foreclosure.com Director of Education, Linda Yates. “It was exciting to see how creative the essays were in response to this year’s topic and to get a glimpse into the applicants’ individual strategies and thought processes.”

In addition to all the students who responded, Foreclosure.com would like to acknowledge the esteemed panel of judges who selected the five finalists:

• Susan Wachter, University of Pennsylvania
• Michael Kraten, PH.D., CPA, Sawyer Business School at Suffolk University
• Maureen Kraten MBA, CMC, Sacred Heart University

“Thank you to all of our judges for their time and hard work,” said Yates. “We appreciated their dedicated service to this program.”

Yates indicated that the company has already announced the 2012 Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program, which will once again run for the entire year until Dec. 1, 2012. To read the new topic, as well as learn more about the eligibility/submission requirements, visit the Foreclosure.com scholarship page (www.foreclosure.com/scholarship).

Foreclosure.com introduced its scholarship program in 2009. Since that time, the company has awarded 15 deserving college students throughout the United States with a total of $27,000 in scholarship money.

The subject of the 2012 Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program is as follows:

“What creative solutions, programs and/or initiatives to stimulate the United States housing market, as well as to turn the foreclosures tide, must a presidential candidate outline/promise to earn your vote? Feel free to include your very own original stimulus plan and/or ideas in your response, which can also be used to enhance existing platforms from candidates and/or other influential thought leaders.”

Foreclosure.com, which received a record-setting amount of entries (nearly 10,000) from students throughout the nation during its scholarship program in 2011 alone, will accept written essays/plans (800-word minimum, 2,000-word maximum) through its website (www.foreclosure.com/scholarship/) from Jan. 1, 2012, to Dec. 1, 2012.

Five winners will be selected by a third-party panel of judges at the conclusion of the contest and will share $9,000 in allotted scholarship funds. The top prize is a $5,000 scholarship and four $1,000 grants will be awarded to the runners up.

“This scholarship program has impacted the lives of the recipients, enhancing their career goals and educational pursuits,” said Linda Yates, Foreclosure.com Director of Education. “With scholarships lessening and disappearing this scholarship has been growing — our applications have increased year-over-year and the competition has grown more fierce. We look forward to continuing that trend in 2012.”

In addition to the five cash prizes in the form of scholarships, totaling $9,000, these solutions will be featured on Foreclosure.com for the entire year. All students must read and agree to the scholarship rules, which are located on the Foreclosure.com contest page (www.foreclosure.com/scholarship), before submitting their entries for review.

“It’s an election year, so we wanted the topic to reflect the thoughts and concerns of our nation,” said Yates. “The housing industry is still trying to recover and the creativity of college students across the nation may be the catalysts to provide solutions that will help the entire economy.”

Foreclosure.com introduced its scholarship program in 2009. Since that time, the company has (or will) award(ed) 15 deserving college students throughout the United States with a total of $27,000 in scholarship money.

For complete details and submission requirements/instructions for the 2012 Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program visit www.foreclosure.com/scholarship.

Foreclosure.com today announced that the deadline to submit essays for its 2011 scholarship program has expired and that it will now begin the review process of the nearly 10,000 submissions received throughout the 10-month contest.

At the beginning of the year, the company challenged college students throughout the nation, regardless of major, to answer the following question:

“You have acquired $150,000 in cash to be used specifically for a distressed real estate purchase. Outline a detailed strategy that ensures the maximum return on investment, whether it is in terms of financial profit or personal satisfaction … or both.”

Entries, which were required to be original and be at least 800 words in length and no more than 2,000, came from far and wide across the United States, including University of Southern California (USC), Syracuse University, Duke University, Ohio State University (OSU) and Arizona State University (ASU), among others.

In total, the Foreclosure.com 2011 Scholarship Program tallied 9,636 essay submissions.

“We are thrilled with the tremendous amount of submissions we received for our 2011 scholarship program,” said Linda Yates, Foreclosure.com Director of Education. “Now it’s time for our esteemed panel of university professors throughout the nation to determine the five talented winners. We appreciate those educational institutions that have supported our program by sharing/posting the link to our scholarship page for the benefit of their students.”

Foreclosure.com will review each submission and determine the top 20 based on writing ability, creativity, originality and overall excellence. The company will then provide the top 20 submissions to an outside panel of third-party expert judges, whose collective impressions will determine the five scholarship-winning entries.

The grand prize winner with the best essay will receive a $5,000 scholarship, while the four runners up will each receive $1,000 each to put toward their higher educations. In addition, all scholarship winners will have their essays featured on Foreclosure.com’s scholarship page.

Foreclosure.com expects to announce the five winners of its 2011 scholarship program on or around Jan. 31, 2012. In the meantime, already plans to offer a similar scholarship program in 2012 based on the continued success and increasing participation among college students.

“The 2012 scholarship topic will be announced very soon,” said Yates. “We encourage college students to keep checking Foreclosure.com for all the details. It is an exciting time of year as we determine winners and brainstorm next year’s foreclosure topic. We look forward to even more creative and well-thought-out essays in 2012 and beyond.”

Foreclosure.com introduced its scholarship program in 2009. Since that time, the company has (or will) award(ed) 15 deserving college students throughout the United States with a total of $27,000 in scholarship money.

For complete scholarship details visit the Foreclosure.com (http://www.foreclosure.com/scholarship) scholarship page.

Foreclosure.com today reminded college students nationwide who are enrolled in undergraduate programs that the deadline to submit essays for its 2011 scholarship program is approaching quickly on Dec. 1, 2011.

Foreclosure.com encourages all students (high school students, graduate students and law students are excluded), regardless of major, to apply for the scholarships, which total $9,000 and are divided among five qualified, winning entrants.

The 2011 Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program essay topic is as follows:

“You have acquired $150,000 in cash to be used specifically for a distressed real estate purchase. Outline a detailed strategy that ensures the maximum return on investment, whether it is in terms of financial profit or personal satisfaction … or both.”

Entries are required to be original and be at least 800 words in length and no more than 2,000. Qualified students must visit the Foreclosure.com scholarship page, fill out the entry form and agree to the scholarship rules to enter the contest.

For complete scholarship details and to enter today visit Foreclosure.com (http://www.foreclosure.com/scholarship) prior to the deadline on Dec. 1, 2011.

“This scholarship program has been a wonderful experience for all of the administrators at Foreclosure.com and the outside panel of judges,” said Foreclosure.com Director of Education, Linda Yates. “The entries have been competitive and the creativity of the essays have been first class. We look forward to reviewing the rest of the submissions prior to the Dec. 1, 2011, and announcing the winners shortly thereafter.”

The $5,000 grand prize-winner will be selected by Foreclosure.com and its panel of third-party judges and announced prior to the conclusion Q1 2012. The four runners up will also be selected and announced during that time and each receive $1,000 grants. In addition, all scholarship winners will have their essays featured on Foreclosure.com’s scholarship page.

Foreclosure.com introduced its scholarship program in 2009. Since that time, the company has awarded 10 deserving college students throughout the United States with a total of $18,000 in scholarship money.

For complete scholarship details and to enter today visit Foreclosure.com (http://www.foreclosure.com/scholarship) prior to the deadline on Dec. 1, 2011.

Popular program returns after wildly successful campaigns in 2009 and 2010 awarded $18,000 in educational grants to financially-assist 10 students

Foreclosure.com today announced that it will once again reward five college students with scholarships who can best provide a solution(s) to its latest essay topic for 2011.

The subject of the Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program 2011 is as follows:

“You’ve acquired $150,000 in cash to be used specifically for a distressed real estate purchase. Outline a detailed strategy that ensures the maximum return on investment, whether it’s in terms of financial profit or personal satisfaction … or both.”

Foreclosure.com, which received thousands of entries from students during its scholarship programs in 2009 and 2010, will accept written essays/plans (800-word minimum, 2,000-word maximum) through its website (http://www.foreclosure.com/scholarship) from Jan. 1, 2011, to Dec. 1, 2011, which is nine months longer than the previous two programs.

Five winners will be selected at the conclusion of the contest and will share $9,000 in allotted scholarship funds. The top prize is a $5,000 scholarship and four $1,000 grants will be awarded to the runners up.

“Determining our plan of action in multiple scenarios is the way to be prepared,” said Linda Yates, Foreclosure.com Director of Education. “This year’s topic is a thought-provoking question. It will encourage students to creatively think about how they would approach a real estate investment before being placed ‘in the moment’ with all the real-word emotional tugs that influence such a major decision.”

In addition to the five cash prizes in the form of scholarships, totaling $9,000, these solutions will be featured on Foreclosure.com.

All students must read and agree to the scholarship rules, which are located on the Foreclosure.com contest page at http://www.foreclosure.com/scholarship, before submitting their entries for review.

“It has been rewarding to watch the program grow firsthand and to pose challenging questions for our students to answer as they begin to understand the mechanics of real-world economics,” said Luanne Bryant, Foreclosure.com Partner Relations Manager, who oversees the company’s scholarship program. “This is our third year offering the scholarship program. And we’ve continued to maintain a positive outlook on the current housing market conditions, with this year’s topic specifically focusing on investment and opportunity.”

Foreclosure.com has issued $18,000 in scholarship money to 10 college students nationwide since the program was introduced in 2009.

For complete details and submission requirements/instructions for the Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program 2011 visit http://www.foreclosure.com/scholarship.

Boca Raton, Fla. — Feb. 15, 2011 — Foreclosure.com today announced the winners of its 2010 scholarship program, which rewards five current college students with a total of $9,000 to put toward their higher educations.

More than 1,000 current college students nationwide answered the call during the 2010 Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program, submitting essays of 1,000 words or more that answered the following question:

“How can education at the high school level help avert and/or minimize a future foreclosure crisis?”

Kaitlyn Shumelda, a junior at University at Albany, State University of New York (Albany — SUNY) located in Albany, N.Y., however, was voted to the head of the class by our panel of judges, winning the $5,000 top prize.

“Receiving this scholarship is incredible,” said Kaitlyn. “Not only does it lift a big financial weight off my shoulders, but this amazing experience has taught me something very important.”

Kaitlyn went on to describe how she almost didn’t submit her winning entry, even after she had “put so much into it.”

“I just didn’t think I’d win,” she said. “But I figured I’d at least give it the good ‘ole college try, and I’m now so glad I did! I want to thank everyone at Foreclosure.com for this opportunity – it’s inspired me to do so more because now I know I’m capable of doing so much more. Thank you so much!”

The program, which ran from Sept. 1 to Dec. 31, 2010, also awarded four $1,000 scholarships to the contest semifinalists:

• Cortni Merritt, University of Central Florida
• Kara Karpman, Duke University
• James Balagia, Austin Community College
• Kim Huffstetler, University of Phoenix

In addition to the five cash prizes in the form of scholarships, totaling $9,000, these solutions are featured on Foreclosure.com.

To read Kaitlyn’s winning essay, as well as the others from our four semifinalists, please visit the Foreclosure.com scholarship page (www.foreclosure.com/scholarship).

“It is so important that high school students understand what real life is like outside the classroom – these are the future homeowners of America,” said Foreclosure.com Director of Education, Linda Yates. “Financial mistakes of the past can be avoided in the future through timely education and life lessons.”

In addition to all the students who responded, Foreclosure.com would like to acknowledge the esteemed panel of judges who selected the five finalists:

• Susan Wachter, University of Pennsylvania
• Michael Kraten, PH.D., CPA, Sawyer Business School at Suffolk University
• Maureen Kraten MBA, CMC, Sacred Heart University

“It’s been a delight to once again work first-hand with the scholarship program and see it evolve and grow into such a success,” said Luanne Bryant, who coordinated the scholarship effort for the second straight year. “We are proud to offer one of the least restrictive scholarships available, making it a realistic option for literally any college student to apply.”

Bryant indicated that the company has already set up the 2011 Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program, which will run for the entire year until Dec. 31, 2011 – nine months longer that the previous two programs.

Foreclosure.com has issued $18,000 in scholarship money to 10 college students nationwide since the program was introduced in 2009.

To read Kaitlyn’s winning essay, as well as the others from our four semifinalists, please visit the Foreclosure.com scholarship page (www.foreclosure.com/scholarship).

“Program returns for 2010 after wildly successful 2009 campaign financially assisted several bright scholars from throughout the nation!”

Boca Raton, Fla. — Sept. 2, 2010 — Foreclosure.com today announced that it will reward five more college students with scholarships who can best provide a solution(s) to one of the most troubling issues facing our nation today:

“How could education at the high school level help avert and/or minimize a future foreclosure crisis?”

Foreclosure.com, which received thousands of entries from students during its inaugural scholarship program last year, will accept written essays/plans (800-word minimum, 2,000-word maximum) through its website from Sept. 1, 2010, to Dec. 1, 2010.

Five winners will be selected at the conclusion of the contest and will share $9,000 in allotted scholarship funds. The top prize is a $5,000 scholarship and four $1,000 grants will be awarded to the runners up.

All students must read and agree to the scholarship rules, which are located on the Foreclosure.com contest page at www.foreclosure.com/scholarship.

“Education equals freedom,” said Foreclosure.com Director of Education, Linda Yates. “Often we don’t know what we don’t know – where do the roots of the foreclosure problem really lie? How far back can we trace it? These are important questions. So we are eager to get answers, which is the reason we are excited to review this year’s submissions on how the future generation of homebuyers will be able to make smart financial decisions.”

In addition to the cash prizes (5) in the form of scholarships, winning submissions will also be published on Foreclosure.com.

For complete details and submission requirements/instructions for the Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program visit www.foreclosure.com/scholarship.

2009 Scholarship Program $5,000 winner, Andrew Dewar

The results are in.

More than 1,000 current and/or college-bound students nationwide answered the call during the 2009 Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program, submitting essays of 1,000 words or more on ‘How to Solve the Foreclosure Crisis.’

Andrew Dewar, a senior at Kennesaw State University located in Kennesaw, Ga., however, was voted to the head of the class by our panel of judges, winning the $5,000 top prize.

“It’s been thrilling to hear the news — I’m so thankful that Foreclosure.com put this together,” said Andrew, a former business owner and new father of a one-year-old baby girl, Avery. “I have some personal experience with [foreclosure. So this was just a natural extension of trying to solve my own mini housing crisis.

“This is tremendous — it’s so generous,” he continued. “Being an adult student and father, there are a lot of costs that come with going back to school … there is a lot at stake. So the $5,000 will pay for at least an entire semester at Kennesaw State. It’s huge.”

The program, which ran from Sept. 1 to Dec. 31, 2009, also awarded four $1,000 scholarships to the contest semifinalists:

• Mark Cantora a law student at Hofstra University School of Law in Hempstead, New York
• Kelly Kinkade from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan
• Elizabeth Panella from the Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts
• Luke Paulsen from Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey

In addition to the five cash prizes in the form of scholarships, totaling $9,000, these plans will be sent to Congress and to President Barack Obama himself as soon as possible.

“The suggestions that were laid out in the essays were well thought out and I would hope that Congress and President Obama will take notice,” said Foreclosure.com Director of Education, Linda Yates. “This crisis will affect the next generation so it is important to get their fresh perspectives on such an important issue.”

To read Andrew’s winning essay, as well as the others from our four semifinalists, please visit the Foreclosure.com scholarship page right here. Remember to also check out our video interview with Andrew right here.

In addition to all the students who responded, Foreclosure.com would like to acknowledge the esteemed panel of judges who selected the five finalists:

• Jeanette Francis, Ph.D., Lynn University
• Kermit Lind, J.D., Cleveland-Marshall College of Law
• Susan Wachter, University of Pennsylvania
• Michael Kraten, PH.D., CPA, Sawyer Business School at Suffolk University
• Maureen Kraten MBA, CMC, Sacred Heart University

“We were extremely impressed with the variety of ideas and concepts submitted by all the students,” said Luanne Bryant, who coordinated the scholarship effort for Foreclosure.com. “From the far-fetched to the exceptionally insightful, we received the full gamut of solutions to the foreclosure crisis. Based on the success of this program, we will attempt to find other ways to keep it alive in 2010 and beyond for the benefit of college students, and struggling homeowners, throughout the nation.”