ISU College of Arts and Letters sees continued success with Road Scholarship program
March 20, 2018
POCATELLO – In Spring 2017, Jacob Harris was a senior at Marsh Valley High School and was unsure of what his future held. He was then awarded the first Road Scholarship from Idaho State University’s College of Arts and Letters, which changed the course of his life.
Harris said he comes from a farming family and attending college was never in his plans, but after receiving the Road Scholarship and several others from ISU, he realized that he could attend college. Harris is now studying psychology and sociology and plans to use what he learns to hopefully become a police officer.
“Coming from a farming family, a degree didn’t always seem possible,” Harris said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to receive scholarships because without them I wouldn’t be at ISU today.”
Harris was one of 14 Eastern Idaho high school students to receive Road Scholarships in the program’s inaugural year. The program awarded $28,000 in scholarships to these students and showed them an additional $120,000 they would also receive from ISU.
This year, the ccollege has already selected 28 students in Southeast Idaho to receive a Road Scholarship, and plans to give more. The program is also expanding to include students in other disciplines including nursing, dental hygiene, education, science and engineering and more.
“The more students that we can help in Southeast Idaho, the better,” said Holly Kartchner, Director of Outreach and Retention for the College of Arts and Letters. “Seeing more students choose ISU to continue their education is great, and we love to be a part of that.”
The program asks high school principals, counselors and teachers to nominate two or three students interested in studying fine arts and humanities or the social and behavioral sciences at ISU. After they are nominated, each student writes an essay about their college and career goals.
Once materials are submitted, college leadership chooses a winning student who is then surprised with the scholarship during an assembly, class session or small group meeting. During each visit, students also learn the additional scholarships they will receive from ISU.
“Finding out that I was receiving this scholarship was huge,” said Jazmyn Reid, a freshmen at ISU who received a Road Scholarship last year. “The scholarship has helped take a huge burden off my shoulders with tuition and other costs of living.”
Questions and requests for more information can be directed to Kartchner at kartholl@isu.edu or (208) 282-5362.