Selection of Finalists

Each fall, eight young men and eight young women are selected from high schools in Andrew and Buchanan counties to participate in Cotillion for Achievement’s leadership, professional development, and scholarship program.

To ensure a fair and impartial selection process, applications are reviewed without identifying information. The Selections Committee removes details that could identify the applicant or the applicant’s school, and each application is assigned a number before being scored by the judges.

To be eligible, applicants must be high school seniors who have never been married and whose parent or guardian is not a current member of the Cotillion for Achievement board.

Scoring Criteria and Application Review

Applications are reviewed and scored by a panel of five judges representing the faith community, volunteerism, business, education, and the current Cotillion for Achievement board.

Each application is scored using the following criteria:

Academics: 30%
Extracurricular Activities: 30%
Community Service and Involvement: 30%
Short Essay: 10%

Finalists are selected based on the highest overall scores from the application review process.