Diana Morales Winner of 2009 ETS-Trenton High School Scholarship

Contact:

Princeton, N.J. (June 11, 2009) —

Diana Morales, a Trenton High School senior who came to the United States from Guatemala 12 years ago, is the winner of the 2009 ETS-Trenton High School Scholarship. She was presented with the award during the school's award's night last evening.

Morales is graduating number two in a class of 456. She achieved a grade-point average of 100.2 and took many honors and Advanced Placement® (AP®) courses during her four years at Trenton Central High School. She will enroll in Bryn Mawr College in the fall.

She came to this country 12 years ago from Guatemala and is the first member of her family to complete high school and to be admitted to college. Her goal is to build and administer schools in Guatemala. In her essay, Morales wrote: "Attending college and paving the road to better opportunities will be the greatest 'thank you' I could give to my family. It will show them that all their hard work, dedication and motivation did not go to waste."

"We are very impressed by all that we've heard about Diana," says Eleanor Horne, Vice President of ETS's Social Investment Fund. "Not only did she have the best essay but also the best academic record among the 40 finalists. She is a fine young woman and a credit in every way to the Trenton Public Schools."

The scholarship covers the expenses relating to attending Bryn Mawr College and earning a baccalaureate degree in the subject of Morales' choice. Specifically it covers all tuition and fees, dormitory expenses and a meal plan appropriate to the student's needs and good health, the cost of all required textbooks and related materials, transportation to and from the college at the beginning and end of each semester and for official breaks, a laptop computer and software as recommended by the college, and a $200 dollar a month stipend that can be used as the student wishes.

This year's selection was coordinated with the assistance of Principal James Earle and Penny Britt, Counselor Leader of Testing and Scheduling at the school. Twice as many students participated this year than in the six previous years. The selection committee consisted of three outsiders and the head of the school's guidance department. The judges were the dean of admissions at The College of New Jersey, the head of the Equal Opportunity Fund Program at Mercer County Community College and Horne. The identities of students were not known during the essay readings.

About ETS

At nonprofit ETS, we advance quality and equity in education for people worldwide by creating assessments based on rigorous research. ETS serves individuals, educational institutions and government agencies by providing customized solutions for teacher certification, English language learning, and elementary, secondary and post-secondary education, as well as conducting education research, analysis and policy studies. Founded in 1947, ETS develops, administers and scores more than 50 million tests annually — including the GRE®, TOEFL® and TOEIC® tests and The Praxis Series™ assessments — in more than 180 countries, at over 9,000 locations worldwide. www.ets.org