Amanda Carson, a senior student at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts, has named a Horatio Alger National Scholar.
The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc., recently announced the 106 recipients of its 2020 Horatio Alger National Scholarship. The National Scholars receive a $25,000 scholarship to apply toward educational costs of the college or university of their choice. They also have access to a variety of Alger Association-provided resources including counseling and referral services, career exploration opportunities and association alumni connections.
The Alger Association — named for Horatio Alger Jr., a renowned century author whose tales of overcoming adversity through unyielding perseverance and basic moral principles were popular — is a nonprofit educational organization honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals and encouraging youth to pursue their dreams through higher education. The 2020 National Scholars are students who come from households with an average income of $17,675 per year while maintaining an average GPA of 3.84.
Carson of Russellville missed the initial call to inform her of her selection. She had slept through the phone call on a weekend morning. When she called the number back later, the person from the Alger Association said he was just checking up with her.
“Then he hit me with ‘Congrats, you’re a National Scholar,” Carson said. “I just thanked him over and over. I had been stalking their page for a long time. I really wasn’t expecting to get National Scholar. There are only 106 of them. I thought that if I got anything it would be State Scholar (who receive $10,000 scholarships).
“It’s amazing. It feels like the association is taking care of me in a sense. It makes me feel freer in my choice of college since I will have a little more cushion to choose the best pick for me and not just worrying about which one will let me go with the least amount of debt.
National Scholars receive an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C., on April 2-4 to attend the Horatio Alger National Scholars Conference. While there, scholars will participate in college preparedness and other educational sessions. They will also have the opportunity learn about the Alger Association, meet association members and other scholars.
Carson said she is excited about the conference because she will get to meet current and previous scholars. She has already made a connection with a previous National Scholarship recipient online. Carson reached out to the 2016 recipient before she had heard any news on her own selection. “I found a hashtag on Instagram. I reached out to her,” Carson said. “She was really friendly. When I told her that I did get my scholarship, she reached out to a couple of association members she grew close to. We are going to meet in April. We’re all going to be very tight-knit. I know that. I feel like I already have a family in the association.”
It will also be the first time she will fly on an airplane and travel farther east than New Orleans, she said.
For more information about the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, visit horatioalger.org.