50 Exceptional Students Awarded 2014 Horatio Alger Montana State Scholarships

WASHINGTON, Sept. 9, 2014 /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 a total of 50 students from Montana will receive its prestigious 2014 Horatio Alger Montana Scholarship in the amount of $6,000, funded by the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation.  The University of Montana and Montana State system schools have agreed to provide an additional $5,000 award bringing the total grant amount to $11,000, which will be disbursed over the course of the student's college career. These young men and women are recognized for their admirable commitment to continuing their education and serving their communities, despite facing significant adversity in their youth.

Since 1984, Horatio Alger Association has administered one of the nation's largest privately-funded, need-based scholarship programs, awarding more than $100 million in undergraduate, graduate and specialized scholarships to students from across the United States (including all 50 states, the District of Columbia and 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 the Association's mission of offering deserving young people across the nation financial support to pursue their collegiate goals. 

"Since my induction in 1995, I have been a strong proponent of the Association's educational mission," said Dennis R. Washington, chairman emeritus of Horatio Alger Association.  "But, it is the courageous stories of its Scholars – from overcoming unspeakable hardships, to their dedication to obtaining a college degree, to their unwavering desire to help those around them – that I find truly inspirational.  It is a pleasure to help them in any way that I can."

"For nearly two decades, Mr. Washington and his wife, Phyllis, have supported the Association, its mission and our Scholars," said David Sokol, chairman of Horatio Alger Association.  "Through the generous donation of their funds and their time, we are able to impact the lives of so many outstanding young men and women, and for that I am quite grateful.  I am confident that the recipients of the Montana State Scholarship will be successful in whatever they choose to pursue, and we are proud to support them in their journey."

Collectively, the 2014 Horatio Alger State Scholarship recipients have maintained an average GPA of 3.6 and a mean SAT score of 1,593, while coming from a household with an average annual income of $21,482. Through the scholarship program, each recipient is awarded financial assistance to apply toward the tuition of their selected college or university. 

For a complete list of the 2014 Horatio Alger State Scholars, please click here.

For more information about Horatio Alger Association and its 2014 Scholars, please visit https://www.horatioalger.org. 

For additional information about  many charitable works of The Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation, please visit http://www.dpwfoundation.org/.

About Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans:
Founded in 1947, Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc., fulfills its mission of honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals who have succeeded in spite of adversity and of encouraging young people to pursue their dreams through higher education. Horatio Alger Association supports students through annual undergraduate and graduate need-based scholarships and mentoring programs across the United States and Canada. Since 1984, the Association has awarded more than $100 million in college scholarships to deserving young people.  For more information, please visit www.horatioalger.org.

CONTACT:
McKenna Young
484-385-2913 (office)
[email protected]

SOURCE Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc.