Bancroft City News
North Gem Student Body President Alyson Reed has been named one of two Idaho students who have been selected to the 62nd annual United States Senate Youth Program. The program will be held the first week in March in Washington D.C. Applicants were evaluated for the program on the basis of their service in “high-level elected or appointed leadership positions.” The week long program will give participants the opportunity to hear major policy addresses by senators and cabinet members, as well as participate in meetings with the president and a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The selection also provides a $10,000 scholarship for undergraduate studies at a higher education institution of their choice.
While she has not yet decided where she wants to attend school, Reed stated that she knows she would like to pursue a career in Radiology, and is currently considering Idaho State University and Weber State.
Reed was made aware of the scholarship program by North Gem’s Guidance Counselor, who encouraged her to apply, because the scholarship was centered on leadership which made her a strong candidate.
For the application, Reed composed both a persuasive essay as well as a personal essay. After the initial application, she was placed on a list of ten finalists who were interviewed at the Idaho Department of Education office in Boise. The panel of judges selected her as one of the two winners.
The assigned topic for the persuasive essay was “something that you think should be changed about Idaho schools”. She wrote about the way funding for Idaho schools works. Reed made the case that average daily attendance numbers should not be the basis for funding, as they disadvantage smaller schools. She looked into other states in the region, and based her information and argument on that research.
Reed will graduate next spring, after completing the school year as not only the Student Body President, but also the captain of the Cheer and Volleyball teams. She is also involved in drama, and will be playing Abby Brewster in the school’s performance of “Arsenic and Old Lace” on April 19 and 20.
She recommends that students in their junior and senior years “apply for as many scholarships as possible. Even if it’s a longshot, you never know. You just might get it.”
“And your grades matter!” Raquel Reed chimes in from her desk in the school’s office. “We found out the difference between a 4.00 and a 3.99 GPA for the scholarship was five hundred dollars.”
Alyson’s GPA is actually 4.3 when weighted, as she will concurrently graduate with an Associate’s degree from CSI.
She says that her experience at school in Bancroft has been a good one. “It’s a small community, so you know everybody and you’re very active because there’s not very many people.”
