577 Remarkable High School Students Awarded 2017 Horatio Alger State Scholarships

WASHINGTON, Jan. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc., a nonprofit educational organization honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals and encouraging youth to pursue their dreams through higher education, today announced 577 students from across the nation will receive its prestigious 2017 Horatio Alger State Scholarships. These young men and women are recognized for their admirable commitment to continuing their education and serving their communities, despite facing significant adversity.

Since 1984, Horatio Alger Association has administered one of the nation's largest privately funded, need-based scholarship programs, having awarded more than $125 million in undergraduate, graduate and specialized scholarships to students across the United States, including all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Canada. In 2000, 16 years after the establishment of its National Scholarship Program, Horatio Alger Members began funding scholarships concentrated in each state to further its mission of assisting deserving young people to pursue higher education. Additionally, Association Members fund a series of Specialized Scholarships, which are targeted to students based on specific degree programs or academic institutions.

"My fellow Members and I are inspired by the courage, perseverance and integrity that this year's State Scholars exhibit," said Tony Novelly, chairman, Horatio Alger Association and 2000 Horatio Alger Award recipient. "These young men and women have triumphed in the face of some of life's most difficult challenges, proving that anything is possible with hard work and dedication. The Association is proud to support this impressive group of students as they pursue success in college and beyond."

Collectively, the 2017 Horatio Alger State Scholarship recipients have maintained an average GPA of 3.71 while coming from households with an average annual income of $15,456. Each recipient is awarded an average of $10,000 to apply toward the tuition of their selected college or university.

State Scholarships are funded through the generosity of the following individuals/organizations:

    --  Al and Cathy Annexstad Horatio Alger Scholarship Fund (Minnesota)
    --  BNSF Railway Foundation (North Dakota)
    --  BNSF Railway Foundation (Texas)
    --  Brinson Foundation (Illinois)
    --  Crown Equipment Corporation (Ohio)
    --  Ebby Halliday Scholarship Fund (Texas)
    --  Horatio Alger Association Board of Directors (Michigan, Missouri)
    --  Horatio Alger Association Endowment Fund (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona,
        Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois,
        Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi,
        Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon,
        Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah,
        Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin)
    --  Horatio Alger Association Members:
        --  Charles C. Anderson, Sr. (Alabama)
        --  Philip Anschutz (Colorado)
        --  Dean L. Buntrock (South Dakota)
        --  Joseph Clark (Washington)
        --  Ronald G. Harrington (Ohio)
        --  Randall D. Hubbard (New Mexico)
        --  Alan B. Miller (Pennsylvania)
        --  John A. Moran (Florida and Utah)
        --  T. Denny Sanford (South Dakota)
        --  Peter W. Stott (Oregon)
        --  Anthony Welters and Ambassador Beatrice Welters (Washington, D.C.,
            Maryland and Virginia)
        --  Sidney D. Wolk (Massachusetts)
        --  Stephen A. Wynn (Nevada)
    --  Ronald C. Waranch Foundation (California and Texas)
    --  Robert J. Hudiburg in memory of John Hardin Hudiburg (Texas)
    --  Lift-A-Life Foundation (Kentucky)
    --  MidAmerican Energy Foundation (South Dakota)
    --  Neubauer Family Foundation (Pennsylvania)
    --  Mrs. Michele Rollins and the Rollins Family, in honor of Horatio Alger
        Association Member John W. Rollins, Sr. (Delaware)
    --  The O. Wayne Rollins Foundation (Georgia)

    --  Suzanne and Walter Scott Foundation (Indiana, Kansas, Maine,
        Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, West Virginia, Wyoming)

Later this year, the Association will award State Scholarships in Idaho, Louisiana, Montana and Nebraska.

For more information about Horatio Alger Association and to see a full listing of its 2017 Scholars, please click here. Follow the organization on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #HoratioAlgerScholar.

About Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans:
Founded in 1947, the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc. is dedicated to the simple but powerful belief that hard work, honesty and determination can conquer all obstacles. The Association honors the achievements of outstanding leaders who have accomplished remarkable successes in spite of adversity by bestowing upon them the Horatio Alger Award and inducting them as lifetime Members. Horatio Alger Members support promising young people with the resources and confidence needed to overcome adversity in pursuit of their dreams through higher education. Through the generosity of its Members and friends, the Association awards more than $12 million annually in undergraduate and graduate need-based scholarships across the United States and Canada and provides college support and mentoring services to its Scholars. Since 1984, the Association has awarded more than $125 million in college scholarships to more than 25,000 deserving young people. For more information, please visit www.horatioalger.org.

CONTACT:
McKenna Young
484-385-2913 (office)
[e-mail]

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SOURCE Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc.