Hope Hite, a senior at Armuchee High School, has been selected as a 2009 National Scholar by the Horatio Alger Association and will receive a $20,000 college scholarship for a bachelor’s degree.  Hite was one of only 104 high school seniors nationally to be recognized as a Horatio Alger National Scholar.

In addition to the scholarship, Hite will attend an all-expenses paid trip to the 2009 Horatio Alger National Scholars Conference in Washington D.C.  The conference will be held in April.  She will also have the opportunity to apply to one of a group of selected colleges the Horatio Alger Association works with as collegiate partners.  Those schools have agreed to match the scholarship in order to reduce or even eliminate the cost of college for Ms. Hite.

According to the organizations website, the Horatio Alger National Scholarship Program is the only major scholarship effort that specifically assists high school students who have faced and overcome great obstacles in their young lives. While many aid programs are directed primarily to recognizing academic achievement or leadership potential, the Horatio Alger program also seeks students who have a commitment to use their college degrees in service to others.

The National Scholarship Program is awarded to eligible students in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.  

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for the Horatio Alger National Scholarship, applicants must meet the following criteria:

1. be enrolled full time as a high school senior, progressing normally toward graduation, and planning to enter college no later than the fall following graduation;
2. have a strong commitment to pursue a bachelor's degree at an accredited institution located in the United States  
3. critical financial need ($50,000 or less adjusted gross income per family is preferred; if higher, an explanation must be provided);
4. involvement in co-curricular and community activities;
5. demonstrate academic achievement (minimum grade point average of 2.0); and
6. be a United States citizen

Ms. Hite wrote an essay on overcoming adversity as requirement for consideration for the scholarship.