The Center for Rural Development is now accepting online applications for 2019 Rogers Scholars. The program is lauded for imparting entrepreneurial and leadership skills, and offers hands-on-training in a variety of career fields. The application deadline is February 1, 2019 at 8 am.

Eligibility requirements are as follows:

Be a current sophomore at a high school located within the 45-county service area of The Center for Rural Development. The forty-five county service area consists of the following Kentucky counties: Adair, Bath, Bell, Boyd, Breathitt, Carter, Casey, Clay, Clinton, Cumberland, Elliott, Estill, Floyd, Garrard, Green, Harlan, Jackson, Jessamine, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lincoln, Magoffin, Martin, McCreary, Menifee, Metcalfe, Monroe, Morgan, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Rowan, Russell, Taylor, Wayne, Whitley and Wolfe.

• Have a strong interest in developing skills in leadership, technology, entrepreneurship, and community service.

• Have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4 point scale).

According to the website, a total of 60 students from Southern and Eastern Kentucky are selected to attend the program each year, with 30 attending each of the two weeks. A selection committee consisting of staff from The Center for Rural Development will be established. In order to ensure fairness, applications will be blinded and applicant names removed prior to distributing copies to the selection committee. The committee will review and score all of the applications according to the criteria and point values established for each section. The applicant with the highest score in each county will be selected as that county’s representative. After those 45 selections are made, the highest 15 scores of the remaining applicants will also be selected as Rogers Scholars. As a result, some schools and/or counties will have more than one representative.

Every applicant remaining after the first 60 selections will be considered an alternate and will be ranked from the highest to lowest score. If a selected Scholar is unable to attend the program, the alternates will be contacted in order of their rank until the open spot is filled. For this reason, all applicants are encouraged to keep the program dates and the possibility of selection in mind as they make their plans for the summer. All lodging, meals, and program expenses (with the exception of transportation to and from the program) are free to the student.

Since the program’s inception in 1998, 1,247 high school students have graduated from Rogers Scholars, and potential scholarships valued at more than $7.2 million have been offered to graduates by 19 participating colleges and universities.

To apply online, click HERE

For more information, call Allison Cross at 606-677-6000