Gov. Butch Otter presented 23 high school students with a combined $69,000 worth of Governor’s Cup college scholarships this week at the Statehouse.

Each student received a $3,000 scholarship to an Idaho college or university. The awards are renewable for up to four years. The winning students were selected from a pool of more than 500 applicants.

“These are some of our best and brightest young people choosing to pursue their postsecondary plans right here in Idaho,” Otter said in a written statement. “They understand that learning doesn’t end with high school graduation, and that an increasingly competitive global marketplace demands a higher standard.”

The Governor’s Cup Scholarship Fund Inc.’s 16-member board of directors selected the winning students.

The students were honored Tuesday at the Statehouse.

Winners include:

Academic scholarships – four-year programs

Margarita Alcaraz, Caldwell High School, attending Northwest Nazarene University.

Matthew Brink, Orofino High School, attending the University of Idaho.

Sydney Cornell, Genesee High School, attending Lewis-Clark State College.

Raven Crossley, Mountain Home High School, attending the U of I.

Natasha Dacic, Boise High School, attending the College of Idaho.

Lydia Garner, Sugar-Salem High School, Rexburg, attending Brigham Young University-Idaho.

Sadie Heindel, Middleton High School, attending Boise State University.

Sarah Hibbert, Century High School, Pocatello, attending Idaho State University or BYU-Idaho.

Sam Jacobson, Borah High School, Boise, attending BSU.

Mikaela Jenson, Firth High School, Basalt, attending BYU-Idaho.

Cameron Kirk, Lewiston High School, attending Lewis-Clark.

Ryleigh Moore, Rocky Mountain High School, Meridian, attending BSU.

Abbey Olsen, Preston High School, attending ISU.

Shaleeni Prasad, Nampa High School, attending BSU.

Jaycee Rade, Coeur d’Alene High School, Hayden, attending the U of I.

Clayton Schoessler, Bliss High School, attending BSU.

Leslie Thompson, Parma High School, Greenleaf, attending the U of I.

Jade Tyler, Parma High School, Parma, attending Northwest Nazarene.

Caleb Williams, North Gem High School, Bancroft, attending ISU.

Allysha Yasuda, Fruitland High School, attending the U of I.

Professional Technical, two- or three-year programs

Skyler Badertscher, Timberlake High School, Athol, attending Lewis-Clark.

Nathan Haight, Highland School, Craigmont, attending Lewis-Clark.

Jordan Peterson, Cole Valley Christian School, Meridian, attending the College of Western Idaho.