Established to memorialize long-time Seattle labor lawyer Samuel B. Bassett, this scholarship awards $4,500 to an undergraduate or graduate student pursuing a career in labor relations.
Samuel Bassett (1896-1971) was a Seattle plaintiffs lawyer who practiced with George Vandeveer from 1924-1942 and represented the Industrial Workers of the World, the Joint Council of Teamsters, No. 28 and other Teamster locals, as well as many civil rights and civil liberties cases.
Deadline to Apply for 2025-2026 Academic Year
Monday, May 5, 2025 at 11:59PM
Who Should Apply
The scholarship is awarded yearly to either undergraduate or graduate students at any of the University of Washington's three campuses (Seattle, Tacoma, or Bothell). Scholarship winners must demonstrate high academic achievement and be enrolled for Autumn Quarter of the upcoming academic year.
If you have applied to the University of Washington but have not yet received notice from the Admissions Office, you are eligible for the scholarship. However, the award will be contingent on your admittance to the UW.
How to Apply
To apply, a student should prepare the following materials:
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Essay responses. Please prepare written answers to the following questions. We recommend compiling answers into a separate document before entering them into the online application. This will ensure your responses are saved on multiple platforms, as answers entered in the online application are not saved until they are submitted.
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Tell us about any labor, social justice, or racial justice issues that you are passionate about and why these issues matter to you. Please share your history of involvement with these issues, which may include but is not limited to personal experience, advocacy, or research. If relevant, highlight issues related to waterfront industries or organized labor. Please limit your response to 800 words or less.
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How will funding from the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies support the goals you have for your education at the University of Washington? How do you plan to engage with the labor movement during your studies here? How will funding prepare you for what you want to accomplish upon completion of your degree? Again, if relevant, highlight issues relevant to waterfront industries or organized labor. Please limit your response to 400 words or less.
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Include a statement explaining your intention to pursue a career in labor relations. Please limit statement to 400 words or less.
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A brief letter of support from a teacher or community member.
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A high school or college transcript (whichever is most recent). Unofficial transcripts are acceptable.
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Up-to-date contact information, including e-mail, mailing addresses, and phone numbers.
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Optional: Additional documents demonstrating your commitment to labor or Labor Studies, such as a resume or curriculum vitae, may also be submitted.
How to Submit Your Application
The online application for all Labor Studies scholarships and fellowships for the 2025-2026 academic year opens in Spring Quarter. A link to the online application portal will be posted on the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies website. By submitting the online application, you will be considered for all Labor Studies awards you qualify for.
Questions about the application or scholarship terms? Call (206) 543-7946 or e-mail hbcls@uw.edu.
Previous Scholarship Recipients
2011: Reyna Rollolazo
2012: Daniel Cairns
2013: Alyson Dimmitt Gnam
2014: Ron Heley
2015: Garrett Strain
2016: Becky Fuller-Phillips
2017: Andrea Canini
2018: Trevor Peckham
2019: Erica Chavez Santos
2020: Thomas Kaplan
2021: Elizabeth Lu Gao
2022: Jonathan Gonzalez
2023: Kass Wolcott
2024: Amrine White