Erica Iantuono, a senior at Clasical High School, has won a national Horatio Alger Award and a $20,000 college scholarship for her compelling essays, one about her family’s hardships, one about her need for financial aid.

The Providence Journal / Steve Szydlowski

PROVIDENCE — A Classical High School senior who grew up with little — but has already given so much back — has won a highly competitive $20,000 scholarship from the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans.

Erica J. Iantuono is one of 108 high school seniors and the only student from Rhode Island to be honored by the national nonprofit education organization. She was selected from an original pool of more than 30,000 applicants. The scholarship program was founded in 1984 to dispel the belief among teenagers that the American Dream was no longer attainable.

“I cried when I got the award, tears of real joy,” she said. “I kept saying, ‘It’s real.’ I couldn’t believe my ears.”

The winners were chosen because of their personal stories, including that they have surmounted considerable personal odds, expressed a commitment to community service and demonstrated financial need. Association members, who themselves are dedicated community leaders, mentor the young scholars and encourage them to give back to their communities.

In her application, Iantuono wrote tellingly about the personal adversities that she has overcome, including a family member with a substance-abuse problem. Although financial security has been elusive, money has never kept Iantuono, who is 18, from pursuing her dream of becoming a pharmacist. She plans on attending the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy this fall, where it will take six years and $166,000 for her to earn a doctor of pharmacy degree.

As part of her application, Iantuono was asked to write an essay about one of the Horatio Alger Association’s many improbable success stories. She chose Max Coffman, the son of Russian immigrants and a former grocery store delivery boy who founded Mammoth Mart, a large discount department store chain that, at its peak, had 90 stores along the Eastern seaboard.

Iantuono wrote that she was particularly fond of Coffman’s advice to her generation:

“Be determined, work hard, run fast, fear nothing as you go up the ladder. Surround yourself with the best people you can find. Share responsibility, face reversals with determination, never give up. Above all, be a good leader.”

“This advice has not only motivated me to be the best person I can be,” she wrote, but “truly gives me the extra push to go forth in all of my endeavors.”

Iantuono already knows something about giving back to her community. She tutors fellow Classical students in biology and chemistry, volunteers at the St. Patrick’s soup kitchen in Smith Hill and is a regular blood donor. Like so many Classical students, she is also involved in a whirlwind of extracurricular activities, including mock trial, the debate team, the math team, Italian club and the school theater, where she is the stage manager. Iantuono has also maintained a B-plus average in all five advanced placement classes.

The highlight of the award, she said, was a three-day trip to Washington, D.C., earlier this month. Scholars visited the State Department and Supreme Court, met with their congressmen and stayed at the Ritz Carlton. Iantuono said that listening to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas talk about his own rags-to-riches story was nothing short of a life-changing experience.

“His speech really touched me,” she said, “He talked about how life is like climbing a steep mountain and how everything you do to improve yourself helps to smooth out the slope.”

The association was created in 1947 to honor the values of hard work and perseverance embodied by Horatio Alger Jr., whose tales of overcoming adversity captured the public imagination during the late 19th century. Its members are dedicated community leaders who have risen to the top of their professions through a combination of passion and drive. All potential members must have a strong record of helping those less fortunate and must be willing to contribute to the mission of the scholarship program. Association members must also be willing to encourage scholars to become role models and mentors in their communities.

lborg@projo.com