Thirty-six Arizona high school graduates were awarded scholarships from the Tempe-based Dorrance Foundation for Education.
Three of the 36 scholarship recipients are from Tucson – two from Desert View High School and one from Mountain View High School.
Twelve recipients will attend the University of Arizona.
The foundation helps first-generation college students attend one of Arizona's three public universities. The scholarships offered are $12,000 per year for eight full-time semesters.
The scholarships are part of an annual program and are awarded to 36 high school graduates yearly. Among the requirements, the high school graduate must be a first-generation college student, exhibit financial need, and meet GPA requirements.
According to the foundation, 98 percent of students who complete the program graduate from college. This is compared to only 11 percent of first-generation, low-income students throughout the country, the foundation says.
The Dorrance Merit Scholarship was created in 1999 by Jacquie and Bennet Dorrance. The organization started with merely 10 awards and has now blossomed into more than 500 scholarships, equating to more than $40 million.
