The P.E.O. STAR Scholarship for the 2014-2015 academic year was presented to Francesca Arnaudo who graduated in May from Ripon High School. 

The scholarship was presented at the Ripon Senior Awards Night by Claudia Sersland.

Francesca Arnaudo is the daughter of John and Mary Arnaudo and was recommended for this scholarship by Chapter QJ of Fresno.

Arnaudo has been accepted and will attend UC Davis where she has plans to study Environmental Toxicology beginning this fall.

The P.E.O. STAR Scholarship is a $2,500 scholarship based on excellence in leadership, extracurricular activities, community service, academics and potential for future success.  The program is open to young women who are citizens or legal residents of the United States or Canada and who are graduating high school seniors at the time of application.  A student must be recommended by a P.E.O. chapter.

The P.E.O. Sisterhood, founded Jan. 21, 1869, at Iowa Wesleyan College, Mount Pleasant, Iowa, is an international philanthropic and educational organization which promotes increased educational opportunities for women.  There are nearly 6,000 local chapters in the United States and Canada with almost 250,000 initiated members.  The P.E.O. Sisterhood has given $235 million in financial assistance to almost 90,400 recipients.  The P.E.O. Sisterhood also owns Cottey College, a fully accredited, private liberal arts and sciences college for women, with two-year and selected four-year programs, located in Nevada, Missouri.

For additional information on the P.E.O. STAR Scholarship, please contact Claudia Sersland at cjsersland@yahoo.com or visit peointernational.org.