Brooklyn students are named Horatio Alger Scholars
Teens attend education conference in Washington D.C.
Two high school students from Brooklyn were among 104 teens from across the country to be named Horatio Alger National Scholars, a designation that earned them a trip to a national conference in Washington D.C. earlier this month, where they were inducted into the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans.
Selena Brazley, a student from Brooklyn at the High School for Health Professions and Human Services in Manhattan, and Michael Onitiri, who attends the High School for Public Service in East Flatbush, spent several days in Washington for the annual National Scholars Conference, which took place in conjunction with the 67th Horatio Alger Awards induction ceremony.
The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc., a nonprofit educational organization founded in 1947, is dedicated to encouraging young people to pursue their dreams through higher education despite hardships in their lives. This year marked the 30th anniversary of its scholarship program, which has provided more than $100 million in scholarships.
Horatio Alger (1832 – 1899) was a 19th-century American writer who was best known for his novels about impoverished boys who rise from their disadvantaged backgrounds to attain wealth through the grit of their hard work, determination and honesty. His “rags to riches” books were popular during the Gilded Age in America.