Two Henrico high-school students will each receive scholarships of $2,500 for study abroad from the World Access travel insurance and assistance company.

Alana Prettitore, a senior at James River High School, and Esha Doshi, a sophomore at Henrico High School, are the 2008 Access Abroad Scholarship recipients.

Prettitore will travel to Berlin for a German language immersion program before attending college in the fall. Prettitore is accomplished in music and cheerleading, and she is the founder and president of the Young Women's Club at her school.

Doshi will study in Costa Rica this summer, participating in a three-week Spanish language immersion program. An International Baccalaureate student, Doshi is active in her community. Her current projects include participation in the Youth Conservation Core and working on environmental projects at state parks in Virginia Beach.

"We are particularly proud to recognize the accomplishments of these two young people with the 2008 Access Abroad Scholarship," said World Access President and CEO Jon Ansell. "World Access depends on foreign-language skills -- more than 35 different languages are spoken at our offices in Richmond. So we are keenly appreciative of the value of the spoken word and are thrilled that these dedicated students are eager to pursue foreign language skills as part of their study-abroad programs."

The students applied by completing an application form that included writing an essay describing their reasons for travel and what they expected to learn. The contest is open to children of World Access associates as well as students from Henrico County high schools, which partnered with World Access to promote the scholarship opportunity.

World Access will provide Prettitore and Doshi with insurance and access to its 24-hour assistance hot line should they encounter travel-related difficulty or require medical assistance.