COEUR d'ALENE - Alycia Barrowcliff got a hug from Tom Selleck, Duane Hagadone is her mentor, and she has $20,000 to use for her college education.

Being named a Horatio Alger National Scholar has been an exciting experience for the Coeur d'Alene 18-year-old.

Barrowcliff was stunned in January when she first heard by telephone that she had been selected for the honor by the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, a nonprofit educational organization that, through its members, offers one of the largest, privately-funded, needs-based scholarship programs in the U.S.

"I couldn't talk. I didn't really believe it. Then I got a letter in the mail, and I realized this was really happening," said Barrowcliff, a 2010 graduate of Lake City High School.

Her scholarship application was one of 104 selected from 50,393 applications received by the association.

The award included a trip to Washington, D.C., in April to be honored at the Horatio Alger Awards Ceremony.

Barrowcliff met a host of association members while in the nation's capital, including former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, former astronaut Buzz Aldrin, actor Tom Selleck, and Duane Hagadone.

According to the association's website, the students selected as national scholars have "faced and overcome great obstacles in their young lives while demonstrating strength of character, a commitment to pursue a college education, and a desire to contribute to society."

Barrowcliff's walk through adversity began with her father's sudden death when she was 8 years old.

"My mother was a stay-at-home mom, and she had to struggle with finances," Barrowcliff said.

The loss of her father hit her hard, but Barrowcliff responded by excelling academically. She has been getting straight As regularly since fourth grade and graduated from LCHS with a 4.0 grade point average.

"Every national scholar that I met down there had grown up without a family, had been in a homeless shelter, had grown up with drug addict parents. They've had something happen in their lives where they've had to overcome it and grow past it, but they never really dwell on themselves," Barrowcliff said.

She found that many of the association members she interacted with had similar stories.

"They've achieved great things by working hard, and they've been selfless and helped others," Barrowcliff said.

Barrowcliff knows all about hard work.

While maintaining high grades in high school, she played softball all four years, and has had a job since she was 15. These days she works part time as a cafe assistant at the Kroc Center. She was previously employed as a hostess at the Dockside and worked at Silverwood.

Barrowcliff also found time to volunteer. She spent a summer giving her time at Lake City Thriftique, and she helped out at Children's Village for seven months doing filing and helping with their auction fundraiser.

She is looking forward to attending North Idaho College in the fall, with plans to pursue a degree in nursing at Eastern Washington University. She will likely continue on elsewhere to get a medical degree.

"I know I want to do something with people, to help them," Barrowcliff said.

She spent some time with her new mentor, Duane Hagadone, while in Washington, D.C. The association pairs members with scholars.

"We talked for a couple of hours, and he's really nice," Barrowcliff said. "It will be interesting to see where this connection leads us."

Hagadone, founder of The Hagadone Corporation and a 2004 recipient of the Horatio Alger Award honoring distinguished Americans, beamed when talking about how impressed he and his wife, Lola, are with Barrowcliff.

"We couldn't be more proud or excited for Alycia that she competed in one of the most prestigious scholarship programs in the country and was selected," Hagadone said. "It's an incredible honor for her and for our entire community. This young lady is so impressive. Lola and I are looking forward to serving her as mentors."

Hagadone said Alycia attended every major function that association members went to, "and she shined at them all."