Academics

Red Cross offers $1,000 scholarship for student’s best tweet

Penn State student Marissa Miller created a scholarship contest sponsored by the Red Cross that will award $1,000 for a student's most re-tweeted video. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- A Penn State student has created a social media campaign that will present one participating college student with a $1,000 scholarship from the American Red Cross.

The contests asks students to post a 30- to 60-second video to Twitter in response to the question “What do you cross your heart and hope to give?” The most re-tweeted entry will receive the scholarship.

Officials at the American Red Cross of the Greater Alleghenies Region sought a way to recognize college students -- who help the Red Cross collect 6 million units of blood each year -- and Penn State public relations major Marissa Miller came up with the contest. Miller, a junior from Johnstown, Pa., completed a communications internship with the Red Cross this summer. Funds for the scholarship were donated by RDM-Johnstown.

“It’s exciting to have a scholarship opportunity that’s just fun,” Miller said. “There’s no application or essay, just a student’s creativity and how people react to it.”

Twitter submissions for the scholarship application may be sent to @redcrossGAR using #crossmyheartRED as the hashtag. More information may be found at the Red Cross Greater Allegenies Region website at www.redcrossblood.org/crossmyheartRED.

Last Updated September 24, 2013

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