BOISE — Three Idaho high school students — Scott Ludwig of Pocatello, Sadigha Heydari of Boise and Melissa Evens of Idaho Falls — are eligible for scholarships to Boise State University after winning the 2012 Capital Scholars essay competition. The trio were among more than 100 high school juniors who ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school class and attended the Capital Scholars program in April.

    Boise State Capital Scholars were invited to submit a 500-word essay on “What is education?” for additional scholarship opportunities.

    Ludwig, from Century High School, was the first-place finisher and awarded a $5,000 scholarship renewable up to four years.

    Heydari from Centennial High School placed second for a $3,000 renewable award and Evens, from Idaho Falls High School ,was third for a $1,500 renewable award if they choose to attend Boise State the semester immediately following their high school graduation.

    Students and parents visited Boise State in late April and participated in campus tours, special workshops on the transition to college, and faculty-led academic presentations from the Honors College and the Living-Learning Communities. The event culminated in an awards banquet where students received a Capital Scholars certificate and a one-time $500 textbook scholarship. T

    he Boise State Capital Scholars has recognized more than 400 scholarship recipients in the past eight years.