Student of the Year candidates are high school students enrolled in their Junior or Senior year who are interested in and enthusiastic about volunteerism, philanthropy, community outreach, and leadership.

The Student of the Year campaign is a seven-week challenge in which high school students participate in a fundraising competition. Every dollar raised counts as one vote, and the top fundraising candidate or team of students at the end of the seven-week challenge earns the title “Student(s) of the Year” and a $1,000 (shared) scholarship to the college or university of his/her choice.

Students will also have the opportunity to receive a Citizenship Award, and those candidates who reach the campaign’s fundraising minimum will also be recognized for their achievement through letters of recommendation & and the opportunity to earn a scholarship in an essay writing contest. Top essay submissions will be posted on the LLS Student of the Year website, with one $250 scholarship awarded to the 1st place essay.

Student of the Year candidates will be invited to a UCSF lab tour where they will have a chance to see science in action and meet the researchers who are searching for a cure for cancer with the funds the students have raised.