Scholarship Aids Wyoming High School Students
Published Dec 16, 2008
A Wyoming scholarship program provides up to $1,600 per semester to students who enroll in a higher-education institution in the state.
Since 2006, Wyoming’s Hathaway Merit Scholarship program has given up to $1,600 per semester to students who meet some specific requirements. The money has to be used at a higher-education institution within the state, and there are four levels of scholarships, each with its own eligibility requirements. (Go to www.k12.wy.us/Hathaway.asp for more on the program.)
“When oil prices went high, the state began to capture a lot of money from the oil and gas industry and put that aside into a trust account,” says Sean Moore, a Hathaway Scholarship consultant.
“They created the program from the interest from that account, which is around $13 million per year.”
Around 1,800 students took advantage of the funds during that first year, a number that rose during 2007. Although the program is new, it’s having the desired effect of keeping the state’s young talent at home, says Julie Magee, Hathaway Scholarship consultant.
To be eligible, students had to have graduated from high school, gotten their GED or been home-schooled in Wyoming. The scholarships have to be used at one of the state’s seven community colleges or the University of Wyoming. “Admissions are higher than ever for incoming freshmen,” Magee says.
Specific GPAs and ACT scores are required, and the stair-step levels of the program ensure that money is available for students at varying stages of academic development, a point that Magee and Moore bring home as they tour the state talking with parents, students and school district officials.
“The school districts are having some growing pains because they have to offer specific curricula that’s required to qualify for the scholarships,” Moore says. “It’s college-prep curricula, but this really is a great opportunity.”
Story by Joe Morris
Photo by Todd Bennett
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