Sebastian River High graduate awarded $2,500 P.E.O. STAR Scholarship

SEBASTIAN — Veronica Kostan, a recent graduate of Sebastian River High School, has been selected to receive a $2,500 STAR Scholarship from the P.E.O. Sisterhood.  

She was recommended by P.E.O. Chapter IN of Sebastian. Kostan will begin studies this summer at Florida State University, where she plans to pursue a nursing degree with a focus on mental health.  

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The P.E.O. STAR Scholarship was established in 2009 to assist exceptional high school seniors as they prepare to enter an accredited postsecondary institution in the United States or Canada the following academic year. The competitive award recognizes young women who show strong leadership, academic performance, involvement in extracurricular activities, community service and potential for future success.  

Kostan completed the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme and was a member of the National Honor Society. She earned high scores on Advanced Placement and IB exams while taking on several leadership roles, including president of Key Club and Students Against Destructive Decisions, treasurer of the National Honor Society, historian for Student Council and co-founder of the Hesed Care Initiative.  

She also competed on the varsity tennis team and participated in the Certified Nursing Assistant program, Future Business Leaders of America and other campus organizations. Kostan logged more than 200 hours of community service through her church, tutoring younger students, weekly work at Cleveland Clinic and a range of local outreach projects.  

P.E.O., which stands for Philanthropic Educational Organization, has supported women’s education for more than 155 years. Since its founding in 1869, the nonprofit has helped more than 129,000 women pursue educational goals through roughly $462 million in grants, scholarships, awards and loans. The Sisterhood is also the primary supporter of Cottey College. More than half a million women in the United States and Canada belong to P.E.O. chapters. Chapter IN has been active in Sebastian since it was organized in 2006.  

What began as a friendship among seven women in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, has grown into one of the oldest women’s organizations in North America, with more than 5,400 chapters.