High School Seniors Can Apply Now for 2021 College Scholarships!

Both Vito J. Pitta and Division A Programs Are Accepting Applications

The Union is happy to announce that both the Vito J. Pitta scholarship program and the Hotel Trades Council Division A scholarship program are now accepting applications for the 2021 awards! These programs provide an outstanding opportunity for the children of HTC and Local 6 members to receive funding to help attend the college or university of their choice and to realize their career goals. For these reasons parents should not let their children miss out on the chance to enter these competitions!

The Vito J. Pitta Program

To be eligible to enter the Vito J. Pitta scholarship competition, applicants must be children or dependents of members who are employed in hotels, clubs, casinos and concessions that make contributions to this particular scholarship fund. In addition, applicants for the Vito J. Pitta scholarship competition must be high school seniors who will graduate in 2021 and will be attending an accredited four-year college or university in the fall. There are some other eligibility requirements.

Most non-Division A hotels participate in the Vito J. Pitta scholarship program. In addition, most private clubs covered by a Local 6 contract also participate in the Vito J. Pitta scholarship program. A list of those participating clubs is included on the Eligibility Information Form that you can find by clicking here.

The Division A Program

Children of Hotel Trades Council members employed in Division A hotels are NOT eligible for the Vito J. Pitta scholarship competition. Instead, they have a separate scholarship program. Applicants for the Hotel Trades Council Division A scholarship competition must also be high school seniors who will graduate in 2021 and will be attending an accredited four-year college or university in the fall. Most Division A hotels participate in the Vito J. Pitta scholarship program. A list of those participating hotels is included on the Eligibility Information Form that you can find by clicking here.

A Great Success Story

As we have proudly noted before, our scholarship awards program is the largest college grant benefit provided anywhere in the world through a private sector union contract. Since its inception the program has awarded an impressive total of $9,032,000 in college grants to 1,102 children of our union’s members. Last year, a total of $264,000 was awarded to 22 graduating high school seniors. Each year, winners receive awards of $12,000 apiece, paid in increments of $3,000 for each of the four years of college. Previous scholarship recipients have an outstanding record of success. Almost every previous scholarship recipient has graduated college or graduate school, or is still receiving their college education.

Applying for the Awards

Applying for either the Vito J. Pitta or the Division A scholarship competitions is easy. Parents and/or students should simply submit the appropriate Eligibility Information Forms available on our website. After eligibility is determined, the actual applications will be distributed. Members are asked to note that there are strict guidelines and deadlines to be followed. Complete instructions appear on the eligibility information forms below.

For the Vito J. Pitta Eligibility Information Form, click here.

For the Division A Scholarship Eligibility Information Form, click here.

Over the years, many students have told us that winning one of these scholarships helped make a difference in allowing them to attend the college or university of their choice. We should add that the awards often mean more than money to many of the recipients. They also represent an important achievement, while helping recipients make a firm commitment to succeed in school and accomplish more in the years ahead.

Competition Notes

As we report every year, many factors are taken into account in determining the winners of the Vito J. Pitta and Division A scholarship awards. These factors include students' scholastic records, community involvement, financial need and extra-curriculum activities.

These scholarship programs are competitions and the winners are chosen by a selection committee of five professional educators. The Union and management have no say whatsoever in the determination of the winners. The scholarship selection committee has done a superb job of choosing the scholarship recipients in the past, as evidenced by the unparalleled record of success in school and careers by previous winners.

Please remember that once applications are received by students they must be completed and returned to the appropriate office by the deadlines: May 1, 2021 for the Vito J. Pitta scholarships and May 1, 2021 for the Division A awards.