Scholarship America Honors the Osage Nation, The Travelers Companies and Michael & Susan Dell Foundation at Second Annual Dreams to Degrees Event

News provided by

May 26, 2016, 02:14 ET

MINNEAPOLIS, May 26, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Scholarship America hosted its second annual Dreams to Degrees National Education Dinner on May 25, 2016, at The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. Proceeds from the event will go toward the Scholarship America Dream Award, a completion-based scholarship program for students who are entering their second year or higher of education beyond high school.

Nearly 300 individuals attended the event, which honored the Osage Nation, The Travelers Companies, Inc., and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation for their efforts in helping students achieve their education dreams. Hattie Kauffman, author and former correspondent for CBS and ABC News, emceed the evening's program.

During the event, former Scholarship America Dream Award recipient Charlene Hinton announced this year's 2016 Dream Award class – eight students from across the nation who have overcome significant barriers and have successfully started their college education.

"At Scholarship America, we believe that education changes lives in the most meaningful ways. We believe broader access to, and completion of, an education beyond high school creates more economic prosperity – both for individuals and for our society as a whole. That passion powers our mission to mobilize America through scholarships and other educational support to make postsecondary success possible for all," said Scholarship America president & CEO Bob Ballard.

The evening's honorees were selected for their deep commitment to advancing education beyond high school for those students who need the most help. Students impacted by these important programs were present to help Scholarship America honor these individuals and organizations:

The Osage Nation, honored for its largest education program, the Osage Nation Higher Education Scholarship, which distributes more than $8 million annually to enable tribal students to achieve their postsecondary goals.

The Travelers Companies, Inc., honored for equipping the nation's next generation of leaders through Travelers EDGE (Empowering Dreams for Graduation and Employment) – a program that blends student support, community partnerships and business opportunities, to help students find success in the nation's workforce.

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, honored for the Dell Scholars Program, which seeks to reduce financial barriers to college completion through wraparound support for students who have overcome adversity and demonstrate a drive to succeed.

Videos from the evening can be accessed here: http://bit.ly/d2d-video
Professional photos from the evening can be accessed here: http://bit.ly/d2d-photo

About Scholarship America®
For more than 50 years, Scholarship America has worked directly with students, parents, colleges, businesses and communities to empower people to fulfill their college dreams. As the nation's largest nonprofit, private-sector scholarship and education support organization, having distributed over $3.1 billion to more than 2 million students, Scholarship America is now working to further engage the private sector to support programs and policies that advance equity in postsecondary education and help students overcome barriers to access, persistence and attainment.

SOURCE Scholarship America