Zotheka Scholarship Award
Scholarship
Zotheka Scholarship Award
“Anything Is Possible”
The Zotheka Scholarship Award, developed in 2023, is awarded to an ASA Academy Player who has demonstrated the resilience, determination and commitment necessary to succeed in college, but does not have access to financial resources to accept opportunities to compete at the collegiate level.
The Scholarship will be awarded each spring to a high-school senior at the Academy level who has been accepted as a student at a two or four year college as a player or student. The Zotheka Foundation will seek to invest in motivated individuals with mentoring support and financial aid for vocational programs and college tuition. They are focused on children and adults below the poverty line from communities including first generation college students, the children of immigrants to the US, survivors of child abuse and neglect, youth aging out of foster care and kids from families involved in the criminal justice system. The award amount will be variable to the financial needs and family circumstances of the award winner, up to full tuition coverage. Award winners still playing with ASA after high school (ie. ASA Reds the U23 team) must consistently represent the award with a positive attitude, consistent accountability to coaches and mentors, and demonstrated leadership at practice, on the field, and in the community.
Their grantees will never just receive a check. Integral to The Zotheka Foundation’s mission is mentoring support for the awardees, both before and during their pursuit of higher education. We want to address the poverty completion gap for first-time, full-time college students and know from personal experience that mentoring support is critical to successful completion of any course of study for people impacted by trauma and/or living in poverty. The end goal is creating a path to economic security as well as supporting communities and non-profits connected to the student for holistic and tangible momentum towards gainful employment and a better life.
Anything Is Possible with resilience, determination, commitment and community support.
Zotheka in the Chichewa language in Malawi means POSSIBLE! Jim, James Jr. and Kelvin M. VandeHei, on a service trip with Watts of Love in 2022 kept hearing this term as they worked to disseminate solar lights in remote villages (solar lighting allows work to continue after dark correlating with with positive outcomes for household income, safety, and overall health) Working to raise funds to provide this inexpensive and renewable light source, knowing that it could tangibly improve the lives of women and therefore entire villages, and then teaching them how to use it, was an indelible experience. (So indelible in fact, Jim had the word tattooed on his shoulder).
This trip and this word provided the inspiration for the VandeHei family (Jim, Autumn, Sophie, James and Kelvin) to start a foundation to incorporate the Zotheka ethos in all of their charitable endeavors. Autumn’s career as a senior government official and policy-maker in the US government and in the non-profit sector, spanning over 20 years, has been dedicated to empowering youth at the margins of society and advocating for reform for survivors of human trafficking, physical and sexual abuse, and the foster care system.
Award Recipients
The ASA Zotheka Scholarship Award will be determined in a two-step process. There will be a nominating committee consisting of coaches and staff in leadership positions in ASA who will have ample opportunity to observe potential candidates, preferably throughout highschool. They will select 5 nominees for the award. The Award Committee, consisting of leaders in the non-profit, education and soccer communities in Alexandria will look at the applications and essays from the nominees, the individualized recommendations from the nominating committee, and will consider the criteria set forth below. The selection committee will vote on the nominees, choosing a winner out of the five nominees, who will then be awarded the Scholarship.
The nominating committee will consider the following when making their selections:
Resilience, resolve, character and determination on and off the field
Demonstrate ASA values & behaviors on and off the field:
- We Persevere
- We are Accountable
- We Evolve
- We engage (w/) the Alexandria community
- High-school Senior playing Academy Soccer at Alexandria Soccer on College player track/skill level
- GPA and teacher recommendations confirm college readiness and or/eagerness and ability to become college ready
- History of community and/or family engagement and leadership
- Team player with demonstrated leadership on the field and at practice
*The five nominees will go through an application process and prepare an essay for the selection committee. Guidelines and more information can be found on Zotheka website. Academic performance will be considered by the selection committee on a case by case basis each year for continuation of the scholarship funding.
Recipient Updates:
In early 2025 we checked in with our three Zotheka Scholarship recipients for updates on their college experiences thus far!
Checking In With Jarbin
“Everything is going well, and I’ve really enjoyed settling into my new environment at Shenandoah University. I’ve adjusted well to college life and have been embracing both the academic and athletic aspects of this new journey.
I am eager to challenge myself even more, seek out new opportunities, and continue to grow both personally and professionally. I look forward to seeing what the future holds and am grateful for the guidance that Mrs. Vandehei has provided to help me get to where I am today.”
Checking In With Elvert
“The transition to college has been one of the hardest things that I’ve gone through in my life, but with the help of the people I have met here at JMU I have found it to be easy to get adjusted to adulthood and time has passed by in a blink of an eye. Although challenging at first, I learned that taking college day by day and being grateful for being in the position I am in would be very beneficial to my progress in maturing as a person. I found my people early on by joining the JMU Men’s Club team where I matured even more as a soccer player, playing with older guys. I challenged myself as a soccer player where I eventually gained my love and confidence for soccer again and even earned myself a consistent starting spot for the team. By taking on this challenge with the JMU club team I have found myself opening more opportunities for myself and have been given the chance to join a local Harrisonburg UPSL team: Blue Ridge FC. As I continue to work hard in the classroom and on the field, I am excited to balance my life for the rest of the school year and take on the challenges of my day-to-day journey of becoming a better person, student, and soccer player.
I look forward to taking on the challenges this spring brings and hopefully taking on new opportunities in the near future. For now, I continue to be grateful for the opportunities I have been given by Zotheka and JMU and work to become a better person each day.”
Checking In With Noel
“I’ve been really enjoying my time in the VCU Cybersecurity program, where I’m building a strong foundation in security principles and learning hands-on skills that will help me in my career. Outside of academics, I’ve been actively involved in clubs like Developing Men of Color (DMC), which has been incredibly helpful in my internship search by providing mentorship and networking opportunities. I’m also part of VCU club soccer, which has helped me build great friendships and connections on campus.
Last semester went really well—I feel like I’m growing both academically and personally, taking full advantage of the opportunities at VCU to further my education and career. The support from Zotheka has been instrumental in allowing me to focus on my studies, develop professionally, and make the most of my college experience, and for that, I am truly grateful. Looking ahead, I’m excited to secure a internship In tech where I can apply my skills to real-world challenges.”
Are you interested in financially supporting the Zotheka Scholarship Award or learning about other ways to support ASA participants? Reach out to Development Manager Emily Pinette at emily@alexandria-soccer.org.