Announced in fall 2019, the Neodesha Promise Scholarship — funded by high school alumnus and philanthropist Ben Cutler — vowed to turn the tide for the southeast Kansas town of about 2,100, which for years had seen a dwindling population and enrollment in the school system. With Cutler’s funding from a lifetime as an executive in the finance and insurance industries, the program essentially guaranteed qualified graduates like Leck from Neodesha High School that their tuition to any college in Kansas or the country would be paid for, at least up to the equivalent of the highest in-state tuition and fees in Kansas. Four years and one pandemic later, the program has been a spark for the community, said Rebekah Peitz, who administers the program and helps students navigate college even after graduation.
Source: Hutch News
