The Miss America's Outstanding Teen Organization announced a total of $862,500 in cash and in-kind scholarships awarded this year. In-kind scholarships totaling $742,000 were awarded from MAOTeen's individual scholarship donors including Troy University, Auburn University, Nova Southeastern University, and Hollins University. A total of $120,500 in cash scholarships were awarded for this year, and each contestant received a scholarship of varying amounts.

Founded in 2005, Miss America's Outstanding Teen, Inc. has become one of the top scholarship providers for teen girls in the United States. All of the organization's participants, on the local, state, and national levels, have been the recipients of valuable scholarship assistance upon graduation from high school. In just a few short years, MAOTeen has made available almost $4 million in cash and in-kind scholarships.

As of April 2012, MAOTeen wrote scholarship checks for more than $568,000 to more than 115 different colleges and universities across the country. All scholarships are paid directly to the institution attended by MAOTeen participants and the money covers tuition, books, and room and board.

For more information on how you can donate scholarships to the MAOTeen Organization, please e-mail jessica@maoteen.org.

Source: MAOTeen Photo: Allen Dye