Although she has just wrapped up her freshman year of college, Allie Paulson is already giving back to students at her alma mater, South St. Paul Secondary School.
Paulson raised $3,000 via social media to kick off the Allie Paulson Family Scholarship, an annual award given to a dance team member with at least a 3.0 GPA and a passion for volunteering.
"There were no scholarships for dance team, so I wanted to start one," said Paulson, a student at Minnesota State University, Mankato.
She's not the only generous South St. Paul alumnus. This year the South St. Paul Educational Foundation gave out $340,000 in scholarships to 132 seniors, with 78 of the scholarships from alumni, teachers and administrators.
More than a few donations were from youthful alumni like Paulson, who said they're eager to pay back the community and schools that helped them attend college.
"It's heartwarming to see these kids thinking about this 10 to 15 years early," said Cari Vujovich, executive director of the foundation.
Scholarships range from $500 to $20,000, Vujovich said, and the $340,000 doled out this year is the foundation's biggest total yet. The foundation, which also helps to fund school projects and programs, now holds about $5.5 million in assets.
With the cost of higher education climbing every year, the foundation's model — alumni and businesses contributing money so high school grads can go to college — may be the wave of the future, said Dave Metzen, the former South St. Paul superintendent who started the educational foundation in 1984.