Woodlands Academy grads earn $2 million in scholarships

The 46 members of Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart's Class of 2016 received their diplomas June 9 during this year's graduation ceremony at the all-girls college preparatory high school in Lake Forest.

They're heading off to college this fall having earned a total of 121 scholarships worth $2.1 million.

"We had a very motivated, talented group of young women who worked extremely hard on their college and scholarship search and application processes," Woodlands Academy College Counselor Beth Gilfillan said.

"Their dedication to their futures is remarkable, and a testament to their families and the education and preparation they received at Woodlands."

In addition to the many scholarships awarded to Woodlands Academy graduates from their individual colleges, there are a few others of note:

• Catherine Andrade of Ingleside was selected to receive the first Nancy Semerdjian Nursing Scholarship from The Auxiliary of NorthShore University Health System. The nursing scholarship that's been awarded by The Auxiliary for the past 80 years was recently named as a way of recognizing Semerdjian's dedication to the nursing profession during her 45-year career at NorthShore. She was chief nursing officer at the time of her recent retirement.

This inaugural award of the newly named scholarship was presented during The Auxiliary Board's June 8 meeting at Glenbrook Hospital. Andrade plans on pursuing an education in the field of nursing and will be attending Marquette University in the fall.

• Woodlands Academy's scholarship highlights again include a Chick Evans Caddie Scholarship, a full-tuition and housing scholarship for golf caddies that is renewable for up to four years. This year's recipient is Erika Rodriguez of Chicago, who'll be attending Northwestern University.

These scholarships, awarded by the Western Golf Association Evans Scholars Foundation, go to applicants with a strong caddie record, excellent grades, outstanding character and demonstrated financial need. This marks the second Evans scholarship in a row awarded to a Woodlands graduate. Last year's recipient was Shalonda Jones of Waukegan.

Julian Alutto of Lake Forest was awarded two scholarships:

• The AbbVie Crohn's & Colitis Scholarship, which honors exceptional students living with inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, as they pursue goals of higher education. Its goal is to further empower students to pursue an independent life defined by bold decisions and unyielding determination.

• The Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship, which recognizes students who serve as models for their fellow students by demonstrating skills such as motivation to achieve their potential, involvement in their schools, and being catalysts for positive change in their communities throughout their high school careers.

She'll be attending University of Notre Dame in the fall.

Woodlands Academy's comprehensive College Counseling program is an important reason why 100 percent of its graduates are accepted into college, including some of the most prestigious schools in the country.

The program features Woodlands' unique College Skills class in which the instructor works with students through the college process both junior and senior years in a classroom setting.

• To submit Your news with one photo, go to dailyherald.com/share. To submit Your news with multiple photos, send it to nbrcalender@dailyherald.com.