VFW Post 3911 Ray Gutierrez Scholarship

Fall 2025

The local Key West VFW, Post 3911 offers scholarships to veterans, service members, and their dependents to provide financial assistance to complete their educational goals without incurring excessive student loan debt. Eligible students must have a complete 2025-26 FAFSA and meet standards of satisfactory academic progress. Award is for $1,000 ($500 in Fall + $500 in Spring). Students must satisfy a minimum of 6cr hours for the award terms and meet the following criteria:

1. Be a U.S. Citizen
2. Be retired, honorably discharged, active duty, a member of the National Guard or Reserve, or one of their dependents (spouse or legal child).
3. Have completed Basic Training and follow-on training (Advanced Individual Training, Technical school, etc.); non-applicable for dependents.
4. If selected, authorize the VFW Post 3911 to announce and publish award of your scholarship. If awarded a scholarship, the recipient’s name, city, state, photograph, and essay may be used for promotional purposes without further consent from the recipient.

Scholarship recipients are also required to:

1. Confirm registration in courses at The College of the Florida Keys in the term in which the scholarship is to be used.
2. Complete a minimum of 8 hours of volunteer service with The College of the Florida Keys Foundation and/or approved charity if requested. (Details will be sent separately if/when applicable.)
3. Attend the Annual College of the Florida Keys Scholarship Recipient & Donor Social at the Tennessee Williams Theatre on the William A. Seeker Campus in Key West during the Fall semester. The event will occur on Tuesday, September 30th, 2025. Invitations will be distributed closer to the event.
4. Demonstrate and maintain the scholarship criteria and requirements.

The Foundation reserves the right to withdraw or modify the student’s award based on the student’s fulfillment of required scholarship criteria.