Recognition Program Services’ Newest Client Honors Young People Who Have Overcome Adversity

Rewarding people like Miller who have overcome adversity and achieved success is the focus of the newest client of ACT’s Recognition Program Services. This year marks the first we have helped HAA, based in Alexandria, Virginia, manage their scholarship programs.

HAA is the one of the nation’s leading providers of need-based college scholarships, having awarded $40 million in college scholarships since 1984. The amount of money awarded each year varies based on contributions from members and friends of the association.

For the 2007 academic year, HAA awarded more than $11.5 million in college scholarships to young adults who have overcome adversity—poverty, homelessness, foster care, abuse. There are 106 national winners, each receiving a $20,000 national scholarship to use toward a bachelor’s degree. Many colleges and universities match the Horatio Alger national scholarship with grants to further reduce the cost of a college education. The association also awards approximately 1,400 state scholarships of varying amounts.

Competitive Application Process

ACT staff helped the association winnow the list of applicants, which originally numbered more than 27,000. Of those, approximately 7,000 students submitted the required paperwork. Staff reviewed supplemental documentation submitted by the applicants based on criteria provided by the association. This involved checking the applications for completeness and eligibility, reviewing essays, evaluating financial need, and determining the level of adversity, the applicant’s contribution to society, and whether the applicant matched the values of the association. Staff read nearly 2,500 application essays and sent applications from about 1,400 finalists to a national selection committee gathered in Washington, D.C.

The HAA selection committee then ranked the applicants and selected the 106 scholars—a nearly equal mix of males and females.

Staff at ACT also assisted in the selection of approximately 1,400 state scholarships the association awards each year through funding from HAA members. State awards range from $2,500 to $6,000, depending on the state and sponsor. The association also gives $5,000 military scholarships to U.S. veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.

“It is a very emotional application process for the applicants, and demanding for the staff,” said Anjanette Swingle, recognition program services director. “Students have to submit essays describing their personal struggles and adversities and how those struggles helped form the person they are today.”

They must also submit biographical, academic, and financial information; write essays outlining their career goals, intended college major, and leadership attributes; and provide a letter of support.

Writing her essay was difficult, said Miller, but not because of the way she was raised.

“I never felt I experienced true adversity, because it was part of who I am. I learned to take the adversity and use it as an inspiration rather than a weakness. It taught me about flexibility, endurance, patience, love, and, most important, forgiveness.”

Miller always believed she’d go to college, though her father couldn’t help financially and she would be the first person in her family to pursue higher education. Receiving the HAA award was “a complete shock,” she said. “It was one of the most memorable moments in my life.”

About More Than Money

But being named a national scholar was about more than the monetary benefits. “The Horatio Alger Association has had a tremendous impact on my life—personally, educationally, and professionally. The scholarship was never about the money, but the faith the association instilled in me. I was afraid of failure, but the association was there every step of the way, encouraging me and holding me accountable to my dreams,” she said.

The HAA also taught her that “nothing is beyond my reach,” she said. After losing her job as a military police captain in the U.S. Air Force due to downsizing, Miller is pursuing a new dream of opening a restaurant with her husband. She continues to be involved with the association as a member of the Horatio Alger Alumni Committee.

“The members and scholars I have met through the association have taught me the importance of resiliency and perseverance in all situations. No matter what circumstances you find yourself in, you can always change adversity to opportunity,” said Miller.

She is a shining example of the HAA’s basic principle that education is the first step toward a bright future and the pursuit of the American dream.

To be considered for the scholarship, applicants must demonstrate:

• Integrity and perseverance in overcoming adversity
• Strength of character
• A good academic record
• A commitment to pursuing a college education
• A desire to contribute to society

Scholarship recipients receive an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to attend the four-day Horatio Alger National Scholars Conference. They learn about the free enterprise system and participate in sessions on overcoming adversity, civic education, preparing for success in college, and attend meetings with Horatio Alger members. Scholars also interview entrepreneurs and professionals who have overcome adversity and achieved success.

They explore the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the U.S. government and tour cultural attractions. They also attend the Annual Horatio Alger Awards Ceremony, during which 12 individuals receive the Horatio Alger Award and are treated to a gala in their honor at the National Theatre.

“The trip to Washington was an unforgettable experience. We were treated like celebrities,” said Miller. “The Horatio Alger Association showed me a side of life I never knew existed.”

That side of life was made possible thanks to a nineteenth-century author, Horatio Alger, Jr., who was famous for his rags to riches stories. Today, the association that bears his name counts among its membership some of the most prominent men and women in America—people who have overcome adversity and made significant contributions to their field. They include government leaders, sport champions, entertainers, healers, teachers, artists, and writers. They all have one thing in common: a commitment to serving others, particularly young people, by helping them understand and value the opportunities offered by America’s free enterprise system.

Among the association’s 300 members are such well-known Americans as poet Maya Angelou, author and broadcaster Lou Dobbs, evangelist Billy Graham, former secretary of state Colin Powell, former anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News Tom Brokaw, the late entertainer Johnny Cash, and television personality Oprah Winfrey.