By Hannah Bute

After four years of study and extra-curriculars, Alyssa Stanford has received scholarships from two colleges. The FHS senior has accumulated at least $17,000 from McKendree, a private liberal arts college in Lebanon, Illinois near St. Louis. Twelve thousand of those dollars are for academic achievements, which include an ACT score of 28 and a GPA of approximately 4.02 on a weighted scale. The remaining five thousand are part of a leadership scholarship, the requirements including a written essay and participation in multiple interviews. Stanford is also eligible for a cheerleading scholarship of $2,500. The tuition for McKendree is approximately $35,000 per year.

The senior has also accumulated $17,000 per year from University of Illinois at Springfield. The scholarship is based on academics and other achievements, such as her second place ranking in the Accounting Challenge in 2012. Springfield’s tuition is approximately $23,000 a year.

Stanford has also received the Student Athlete Award from Carol Todd for her athletic excellence in both her junior and senior years for cheerleading.

Stanford has decided to attend University of Illinois at Springfield. “It’s a nice college,” she said, “and it isn’t a private school, so it won’t cost as much.” She plans to major in Biology.