Three T.C. Williams High School students were recently awarded with scholarships, two in the arts and one receiving the National Achievement Scholarship.

Alexander Amaniel was one of about 800 African American high school seniors to receive a National Achievement Scholarship in 2009. The $2,500 award is part of a larger pot of $2.6 million being doled out to worthy seniors in the program.

Amaniel was one of roughly 150,000 entrants in the contest. After being picked as a semifinalist based on his PSAT scores, Amaniel had to demonstrate a strong academic career in school, score similarly well on the SAT and write an essay about his personal interests, attainments and goals, according to Alexandria City Public Schools.

Travis Poffenburger was named the recipient of the the 2009 Presidential Design Award from the Corcoran School of Art and Design in Washington, D.C., worth $48,000 during his four years studying visual arts at the school. Jasmine Bagley was awarded a $24,000 scholarship over four years from Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia, Pa., where she will pursue a degree in fashion design, according to ACPS.