FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 29, 2017

CONTACT:
McKenna Young
484-385-2913 (office)
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Horatio Alger Association Awards 950 Deserving Students College Scholarships to Pursue Career and Technical Degrees

Through the Horatio Alger Endowment Fund and the generosity of Association Chairman Emeritus and Endowment Fund President Walter Scott, Jr., the Association provides up to $2,500 scholarships to students pursuing career and/or technical degrees

WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 29, 2017) – 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 950 recipients of the 2017 Horatio Alger National Career and Technical Scholarship. Currently in its second year, this scholarship program provides up to $2,500 to students who wish to obtain career or technical degrees. The Association plans to award a total of 1,020 Career and Technical Scholarships this year.

The scholarships are made possible through the Horatio Alger Endowment Fund and the generosity of Walter Scott, Jr. (1997), Association Chairman Emeritus and current President of the Horatio Alger Endowment Fund. Scott is the former CEO of constructing and mining industry leader Peter Kiewit Sons’ Inc. and Chairman Emeritus of Level 3 Communications, Inc.

To qualify for a National Career and Technical Scholarship, applicants must have completed high school (or earned a high school equivalency credential), demonstrate critical financial need, display perseverance in overcoming adversity and exhibit a strong commitment to pursue and complete a career or technical program.

“We are incredibly grateful to Walter Scott and our Members for their generosity and commitment to the Association’s mission,” said Terry Giroux, executive director, Horatio Alger Association. “It is because of Members like Mr. Scott that we are able to strengthen and grow our scholarship programs year after year, providing tenacious individuals the means to pursue their path to higher education.”

Through partnerships with organizations such as the Association of Career and Technical Education (ACTE), the Association is able to provide financial assistance to hundreds of career and technical students each year. ACTE is the nation’s largest not-for-profit association committed to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for successful careers. It represents the community of career and technical education professionals, and advocates for and raises awareness of this type of post-secondary education. ACTE continues to play an instrumental role in promoting the Association’s program.

“In today’s ever-changing workforce, students rely on postsecondary career and technical education (CTE) to prepare them with the skills to succeed in high-wage, high-demand careers,” said LeAnn Wilson, executive director, ACTE. “We are thrilled to partner with the Horatio Alger Association because their efforts are helping deserving students access life-changing education every day. By investing in CTE students’ success, the Association is also investing in the future of the American economy and validating the important work of CTE educators.”

Horatio Alger Association was founded in 1947, and since 1984, it has administered one of the nation’s largest privately-funded, need-based scholarship programs. The Association has awarded more than $125 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 helping deserving young people pursue their collegiate goals. The Career and Technical Scholarship Program began in 2016 to address the rising cost of college tuition and to ensure that all students have access to a higher education.

For a complete list of the 2017 Career and Technical Scholars, please click here. For more information about Horatio Alger Association, please visit www.horatioalger.org or follow the organization on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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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, in 2017, the Association awarded more than $18 million in undergraduate and graduate need-based scholarships across the United States and Canada, and also provided 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.