Pottstown Senior Wins $25K National Scholarship

Kishan Patel

Blogger's Note: The following was submitted by the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans.

Kishan Patel, a Pottstown High School senior, has won a $25,000 scholarship from the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans.

 

He was among 106 students chosen from among tens of thousands of applicants.

This scholarship recognizes students who have remained committed to continuing their education and giving back to their communities while overcoming great personal adversities and navigating the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Awarded Scholars come from households with an average income of $18,871 per year yet maintain an average GPA of 3.88. 

Each National Scholarship recipient is awarded $25,000 to apply toward educational costs of the college or university of their choice and will have access to a variety of Association-provided resources including counseling and referral services, career exploration opportunities and Alumni connections.

In addition to the $25,000 scholarship, when it is safe to do so, they will travel to Washington, D.C. to meet their fellow Scholars and the Horatio Alger Members who fund the scholarship programs – prominent civic, corporate and cultural leaders including Rob Lowe, Reba McEntire, Jewel Kilcher and several from Pennsylvania, including Joe Neubauer and Alan Miller.

The Horatio Alger Association administers one of the nation’s largest privately funded, need-based college financial aid programs, and anticipates awarding a total of $235 million in scholarships to more than 35,000 deserving students by its 75th anniversary in 2022.

The Horatio Alger Association was established in 1947 to dispel the belief among young people that the American Dream was no longer attainable. Since the establishment of its scholarship programs in 1984, the Horatio Alger Association has become one of the largest privately-funded, need-based scholarship providers in the United States and Canada. 

Today, through its Members, the association continues to educate American and Canadian students about the economic and personal opportunities afforded them through the two nations’ free-enterprise systems. 

The association anticipates awarding a total of $235 million in scholarships to more than 35,000 deserving students by its 75th anniversary in 2022.

“Our organization is thrilled to recognize these 106 remarkable Scholars,” said James F. Dicke II, president, Horatio Alger Association and 2015 Horatio Alger Award recipient. 

“These students have remained dedicated to furthering their education and giving back to their communities while overcoming many personal adversities, not to mention the additional challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic," Dicke said in a press release. "The Association is proud to support these remarkable young people and we look forward to witnessing all they will achieve.”

“Our 2021 National Scholars affirm the Association’s belief that hard work, honesty and determination can conquer all obstacles,” said Terrence J. Giroux, executive director, Horatio Alger Association. “Through our mission, we will continue to provide promising young people the resources, mentorship and confidence needed to be successful in whatever it is they choose to do.”

The Horatio Alger Scholarship Program is wholly funded through private donations from Association members and friends.

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 2020, the Association awarded more than $21 million in undergraduate and graduate need-based scholarships to 2,500 students across the United States and Canada, and provided college support and mentoring services to its scholars. 

Horatio Alger was an American writer of young adult novels about impoverished boys and their rise from humble backgrounds to lives of middle-class security and comfort through good works. His writings were characterized by the "rags-to-riches" narrative, which had a formative effect on the United States during the Gilded Age, according to Wikipedia.