A number of area students are among the 200 statewide scholarship recipients the Indiana Commission of Higher Education has awarded to the fifth class of Next Generation Hoosier Educators.

Selected through a competitive process based on academic achievement and other factors, recipients will receive $7,500 annually (up to $30,000 total) for committing to teach in Indiana for at least five years after graduating college.

Among the area students who received the scholarship:

Carlee Blackburn, Rochester                                                

MalloryHiatt, Rochester

Brynn Buczkowski, Caston                                       

Arika Warren, Tippecanoe Valley                              

“Hard work, passion and academic excellence are just a few characteristics of these future teachers,” said Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education Teresa Lubbers. “We are pleased to award them with a scholarship as they pursue their teaching credentials that will ultimately benefit their students and the state.”

A total of 439 students applied for the 2021-22 Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship, with applications from 231 high schools in 84 of Indiana’s 92 counties. 72 percent of applicants were Indiana high school seniors with the remainder comprised of current college students.

To qualify for the scholarship, students had to either graduate in the highest 20 percent of their high school class or earn a score in the top 20th percentile on the SAT or ACT.

To continue earning the scholarship in college, students must earn a 3.0 cumulative GPA and complete at least 30 credit hours per year.