RIVERWOODS, IL - Laura M. Kasparian of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, who is a junior at Portsmouth high School, is one of seven Rhode Island recipients of the $2,500 state scholarship awarded by Discover Card.

Discover Card is awarding nearly $1.5 million in scholarships to high school juniors as part of the Discover Card Tribute Award Scholarship program. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Tribute Awards program, with an increase in funding from $1 million to $1.5 million.

Since its inception in 1991, the Discover Card Tribute Award program has awarded more than $8.6 million in scholarships to over 4,000 students nationwide. Given in cooperation with the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), scholarships are awarded to high school juniors have demonstrated excellence in many areas of their lives - not just academics.

This year, winders were selected form a pool of nearly 10,000 applicants. While students must maintain a minimum 2.75 cumulative grade point average to qualify, they must also demonstrate accomplishments in three of four areas: special talents, leadership, obstacles to overcome, and community service. Once the student graduates high school, scholarship funds may be applied to various education or training programs.

The winner in each state go on to compete for nine national scholarships each worth $25,000. The national Tribute Award winners will be honored in June at a ceremony at Discover Financial Services' headquarters in Riverwoods, Illinois.