Speak Up, Stay Protected: Whistleblowers in Elder Care Scholarship

 

Shore Law and its Chicago personal injury lawyers lead the way when it comes to addressing instances of nursing home abuse and elder mistreatment. The team wants to engage with young people who are already thinking critically about the nursing home abuse and negligence that can impact underprotected residents.

 

The Speak Up, Stay Protected: Whistleblowers in Elder Care scholarship will award one United States trade school, technical school, college, or graduate school student with $2,500 to dedicate toward their continued studies. Applicants must submit a video going into detail about their state’s whistleblower policies and safeguards.

 

Students have until May 15, 2026, to complete and submit their scholarship applications.

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Who Is Eligible? 

 

The Speak Up, Stay Protected: Whistleblowers in Elder Care scholarship is available to students in the United States who are attending or enrolled in trade schools, technical schools, colleges, universities, or graduate schools. 

 

To be eligible for the award, applicants must agree to the Speak Up, Stay Protected: Whistleblowers in Elder Care scholarship’s terms and conditions before submitting all of their application materials. 

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How Do I Apply?

 

If you qualify for the Speak Up, Stay Protected: Whistleblowers in Elder Care scholarship and want to apply, the team asks that you create a video no more than three minutes long addressing the prompt detailed below. 

 

Once complete, you can upload that video as an unlisted YouTube video, then share a link to that video along with the application form on this page.

 

Your scholarship materials must reach the scholarship selection committee before the submission deadline, or else the team will not consider your application.

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Scholarship Video Topic

 

Whistleblowers (whether staff, healthcare professionals, or family members) play a critical role in exposing misconduct, unsafe practices, or neglect in care facilities. However, fear of retaliation often prevents people from speaking up. 

 

To participate in our scholarship, create a three-minute video in which you discuss in-depth how your state’s whistleblower protection laws safeguard individuals who report nursing home misconduct. Also, analyze what legal reforms could strengthen these protections and encourage more reporting. 

 

The maximum length of your video should be around 3 minutes. 

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How to Craft a Strong Scholarship Video

 

When it comes time to create your scholarship video, please record in a well-lit area while holding your device of choice as still as possible. You should include your full name and the name of the Speak Up, Stay Protected: Whistleblowers in Elder Care scholarship at the start of the video.

 

If you use any sources to discuss the whistleblower safeguards in your state, please cite them and give credit as necessary. Should you wish to supplement your script with other visuals, please only use copyright-free material. You can use media editing tools to increase the quality of your footage, but the firm will not award its scholarship based on editing ability.

 

Please do not use AI to generate a video for the Speak Up, Stay Protected: Whistleblowers in Elder Care scholarship. Students who use AI to create their videos, modify their voices, or create fake actors will be removed from the applicant pool without further consideration. 

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Application Deadline

 

Students must submit all of the required application documents by May 15, 2026, if they want to qualify for the Speak Up, Stay Protected: Whistleblowers in Elder Care scholarship. Unfortunately, Shore Law and its scholarship selection committee will not consider applications submitted without all essential materials or after this deadline passes.

 

Please do not reach out to Shore Law with questions about the submission process, as the team cannot answer questions about the Speak Up, Stay Protected: Whistleblowers in Elder Care scholarship at this time.

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Terms and Conditions

 

All applicants to this scholarship must meet the eligibility requirements as laid out on the scholarship application page, including: 

 

• Applicant must be enrolled at a college, trade school, university, or graduate school

• Applicant must be at least 18 years old at the time of enrollment

• Applicant must have residency in the United States

• Applicant must be in good academic standing

• Applicant must submit some personal information, including name, contact information, and academic information

• Applicant must author an original video on the scholarship topic provided

 

Anyone who meets the following conditions is NOT eligible to apply: 

 

• Employees or children of employees of Shore Law

• Past recipients of the Speak Up, Stay Protected: Whistleblowers in Elder Care scholarship

• Applicants who are unable/unwilling to be interviewed by a representative of Shore Law if they were to be awarded a scholarship

• Applicants who submit the same video for multiple scholarships or multiple years in a row

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Selection & Award Notification Process

 

The scholarship selection committee with Shore Law reserves up to three months to choose its winning student after the scholarship submission deadline passes. We ask that students and their families refrain from reaching out to the firm during this timeframe, as the team cannot answer questions about the selection process.

 

Age, race, religion, gender, national origin, familial status, or other protected classes will have no influence on the committee’s decision.

 

Once the team selects its winner, a representative will contact that student and arrange for their award to be transferred to the academic institution of their choice. Shore Law will then share a blog post and press release announcing the winner’s name and celebrating their achievements.

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Previous Winners 

Shore Law looks forward to sharing more information about its scholarship winners via press release and blog post here. Applicants can keep an eye on this page for updates about the first year’s results.