Local scholar awarded scholarship

SUPERIOR – According to a report by the Institute for College Access and Success, nearly 70 percent of seniors graduating college in 2013 had an average debt of nearly $30,000. In Montana alone, 66 percent of graduating seniors will leave college with an average of nearly $28,000 in debt.

That might not be a problem for one Mineral County graduate after she was awarded $44,000 in scholarships to put toward her continued education. Patricia Gaston of Superior was awarded the Presidential Merit Scholarship to attend Rocky Mountain College in Billings.

Gaston said, while she is undecided about what she wants to study, she is looking forward to the next stage of her life. Gaston said, for her, it took a lot of hard work and dedication to put herself in a position to come out of college without the stifling debt many students will face. She also said, the scholarship was not solely based on academic achievement. There are other factors taken into consideration when being considered for the Presidential Merit Scholarship.

“I kept up my grades and I did what the teachers said and I stayed out of trouble,” Gaston said.

Gaston did mention one area of study she was interested in pursuing that could take her in a completely different direction one day after she finishes college. Gaston said she was interested in one day taking to the skies.

“I am interested in aviation,” Gaston said. “I want to be a pilot. I want to conquer my fear of heights. I am going to do the ROTC program at Rocky Mountain College. I will be an officer when I come out and that will give me a lot of options. It will allow me to start my pilot training. I want to fly helicopters.”

Gaston has lived in Superior for 17 years. The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964 to celebrate and recognize distinguished graduating high school students. Typically, only around a hundred or so students from around the country achieve the honor in any given year.