The Retired Employees Association of Orange County (REAOC) has implemented its scholarship program to recognize and support qualified students to obtain further skills and expertise at an accredited institution of higher learning. If you meet the qualifications listed below, we invite you to complete the application and submit it to REAOC, along with your official high school or college transcripts, postmarked and e-mailed no later than April 1, 2026. 

QUALIFICATIONS:

Applicant must be either: (A) a high school senior with a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a scale of 4.0 who has been accepted as a candidate for a degree program for the following fall semester on a full-time basis after graduation from high school, or (B) a student already attending an accredited educational institution as a candidate for a degree program.

A candidate for a degree program means a student who is pursuing a degree at a college or university, or is attending an accredited educational institution that is authorized to provide full credit toward a bachelor’s or higher degree, or is attending an accredited institution that is authorized to provide a training program to prepare students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation.

Applicant must be related to a Retired Employees Association of Orange County (REAOC) member. Residency in Orange County is not required.  If a student is recognized by REAOC and has received the scholarship in the past, he/she is no longer eligible to apply for the scholarship.

OBJECTIVE:

To award scholarships to assist students who are pursuing a degree at a four-year university, community college or vocational institution. Academic excellence is not the sole criterion of the award. REAOC encourages students with GPA’s of at least 3.0 to submit applications for scholarship awards.

This award can be applied toward tuition, fees, books, supplies or equipment required for the courses necessary in the student’s degree program.
 

APPLICATION FORM:

The application for this scholarship must be requested by sending an e-mail to reaoc@reaoc.org. or by calling the REAOC office between the hours of 8:00 AM and 12:00 PM, Monday through Friday, at (714) 840-3995.  The request must include your name and e-mail address in the e-mail to REAOC.  An application will be e-mailed to you within 48 hours.  Additional information regarding the scholarship process is also available on the REAOC website at http://reaoc.org/scholarships/.

The student will be asked the following information in the application:

• Basic identifying information
• Extracurricular school activities
• Volunteer and work experience
• Honors and Awards

SCHOLARSHIP ESSAY:

As a part of the scholarship application, the scholarship applicant will be asked to write an essay of no more than 300 words and respond to the following topic:

“State your career goals and how you plan to achieve them.”

SCHOLARSHIP REFERENCES (TEACHERS/COUNSELORS):

The scholarship applicant will be asked to submit one original letter of reference from a teacher or counselor including:

• The contact person’s position
• How long he/she has known the applicant and in what capacity
• Description of the applicant’s performance
• Why the applicant deserves the scholarship

SUBMISSION OF THE SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION:

The following documents must be submitted electronically utilizing MS Word to the REAOC offices at reaoc@reaoc.org :

• The completed application form that includes the scholarship essay. No hand-written applications will be accepted; and
• The Certification on the last page of the application which must be electronically signed and dated.

The following documents must be mailed to REAOC, Attention Scholarship Committee, P.O. Box 11787, Santa Ana, CA 92711-1787:

• The Letter of Reference as described above; and
• The applicant’s Official Transcripts; and
• A photograph suitable for publication.

DEADLINE: 

All of the material that must be submitted electronically must be sent to REAOC at reaoc@reaoc.org no later than April 1, 2026.  All of the material that must be mailed to REOAC must be postmarked no later than April 1, 2026.  As a reminder, official high school or college transcripts that are being mailed to REAOC must also be postmarked no later than April 1, 2026. Please order transcripts early to allow ample time to process.

Retired Employees Association of Orange County - REAOC
2026 Keith L. Concannon Scholarship Program

Final Reminders

Please read all of the application requirements for the Scholarship Program as these change annually.  Any student who has already received a grant is not eligible to apply. The following are additional suggestions which address only some of these requirements.

• Allow several weeks for processing and request the official school transcript(s) and the reference letter to be separately mailed and postmarked by April 1, 2026 to the REAOC address listed in the application form.  REAOC may validate the applicant’s GPA with the school districts. 
• "Student Information" on the application form must be complete, including, but not limited to, the requested information on your relative who is the REAOC Member.
• "Extracurricular School Activities" and "Volunteer Experiences" should list individual activities, including the year(s) involved and details to sufficiently explain your participation or role in each activity. 
• "Work Experience" and "Honors and Awards" should include, respectively, the job and honor/award titles and the applicable year(s).
• "Scholarship Essay" response cannot exceed 300 words.  Please share your thoughts and plans regarding your career goals and how these will be achieved.
• Electronically sign and submit your scholarship application by April 1, 2026.

For any questions, please contact the REAOC office at reaoc@reaoc.org or (714) 840-3995. Good luck!