The prestigious P.E.O. STAR Scholarship for the 2010-2011 academic year was presented to Richelle Pettit, a senior at Ava High School. The scholarship was presented at the Senior Awards Ceremony by Chapter IH President Barbara Coday and STAR Scholarship Chapter Representative Angela Ewing.
Richelle is the daughter of Bruce and Pam Pettit and was recommended for this scholarship by Chapter IH of Ava.
Pettit has been accepted and will attend Harding University in Searcy, Ark., where she plans to major in physical therapy and minor in musical theater beginning this fall.
The P.E.O. STAR Scholarship is a $2,500 scholarship based on excellence in leadership, extracurricular activities, community service, academics and potential for future success. The program is open to young women who are citizens or legal permanent residents of the United States or Canada and who are graduating high school seniors at the time of application. A student must be recommended by a P.E.O. Chapter.
The P.E.O. Sisterhood, founded Jan. 21, 1869, at Iowa Wesleyan College, Mount Pleasant, Iowa, is an international philanthropic and educational organization which promotes increased educational opportunities for women. There are approximately 6,000 local chapters in the United States and Canada with more than 350,000 initiated members. The P.E.O. Sisterhood has given nearly $190 million in financial assistance to more than 80,000 women. The P.E.O. Sisterhood also owns Cottey College, a two-year liberal arts college in Nevada, Mo.
