Office of Speaker Dennis M. O’Brien

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

139 Main Capitol Building, Harrisburg

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                        CONTACT:  Jeanne H. Schmedlen

                                                                                                                                   717-705-1894

  

Speaker of the House Dennis M. O’Brien Announces 2007-08 House Scholarship Winners

 

HARRISBURG, July 14 — Speaker of the House Dennis M. O’Brien (R-Philadelphia) today announced that out of a competitive pool of hundreds of high school students across the Commonwealth, two outstanding finalists rose above their competition to win academic scholarships from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 2007-08 academic year. 

 

The two recipients are Daniel Pollak, of Langhorne, Bucks County, son of Tiberius and Marcy Pollak, who will attend Penn State’s Main Campus; and, Bridget O’Donnell, of Jim Thorpe, Carbon County, daughter of Lawrence P. and Anne Sweeney O’Donnell, who will attend Clarion University of Pennsylvania.

 

Pollak is a constituent of Rep. Chris King, D-Bucks, and O’Donnell is the constituent of Rep. Keith McCall, D-Carbon.

 

“The House Scholarship program is a great opportunity for the House of Representatives to acknowledge and award students’ academic achievements and accomplishments, as well as assist young people in their dreams of affording post-secondary or higher education,” said O’Brien. 

 

“We are pleased at the high caliber of students who applied for the scholarships and I commend the two finalists for their hard work and thoughtful essays,” O’Brien said. “Exceptional student scholars deserve recognition and help in reaching their educational goals.”

 

Applicants wrote essays based on the following statement: “Pennsylvania’s Capitol celebrated its 100th anniversary in October of 2006. Discuss a remarkable event

that occurred in the House of Representatives in that building between 1906 and 2006.”

 

Each scholarship grant can be renewed for each of the student’s four years of college, for a total of about $10,000. The amount is tied to the value of one semester of tuition at a State System of Higher Education school – about $2,500 in 2006-07.

 

The scholarships can be used to attend any public or private Pennsylvania postsecondary educational institution.  This year’s scholarship award will depend on the cost of a semester by SSHE to be announced later this summer.

 

A benefit of this award is that students may be eligible to receive matching funds from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency’s PATH Program.  The recipients’ names are automatically submitted to PHEAA and matching awards are granted based on the students’ remaining financial need.  Last year, PHEAA matched the House Scholarships in the amount of $10,200.

 

Additional tuition help also may be available from the Savings and Growth for Education Program if the students attend any of the 42 SAGE-affiliated schools in Pennsylvania.

 

Each applicant was scored and reviewed based on their personal essay,  demonstration of leadership qualities and commitment to community, academic achievement, and extra-curricular activities.

 

In addition, students must have a minimum 3.0 Grade Point Average and plan to attend a Pennsylvania college, university, or professional training school full-time.  Almost every student applicant was at the top of his or her graduating class.

 

The scholarship foundation and selection process is independently administered by The Foundation for Enhancing Communities (formerly The Greater Harrisburg Foundation), a non-profit organization serving the capital region.

 

Conceived in 2003, the House Scholarship Program uses no taxpayer funds.  It is funded by donations from former and current House Members and by funds raised at several events during the year such as the annual House Golf Outing.

 

The House Scholarship Program currently has a balance of more than $600,000 invested in the Pennsylvania Tuition Account Program at the state Treasury Department.  By an actuary’s estimate, this endowment ensures that the program will be able to continue indefinitely, with at least two new scholarships awarded annually.

 

Criteria and other background information can be found online at www.pahousescholarship.com or www.tfec.org.

 

An anonymous donor provided the program with an additional $5,000 for scholarships last year for two additional scholarships for the next three years.

 

“We are grateful for this donation, which enhances our efforts by adding two additional scholarships annually and underscores the integrity of our program,” said O’Brien.

 

The students receiving those scholarships were chosen last year and will receive annual funding through the course of their college careers as long as they qualify.

 

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