Local organizations award scholarships to area students
The verdicts are in! The many clubs, organizations and businesses that offer college scholarships have announced their winners.
Most offer these scholarships because they feel that helping young people further their educations is the best possible use for their money. Here is a roundup of the local scholarship programs and this year's winners.
Lions Club: The Mount Prospect Lions Club awarded three scholarships at its annual installation dinner June 12. The Lions focus on scholarship and community service when giving their annual awards. Only Mount Prospect residents are eligible.
William Wisser, who also received scholarships from the Woman's Club and Midwest Bank, earned the Club's largest award of $3,000. A graduate of Hersey High School, he plans to attend Augustana College in Rock Island and study physical therapy or education.
Anthony Oplawski and Michael Styzek, graduates of Prospect High School, each received $1,500 scholarships. Oplawski plans to study architecture at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Styzek plans to study math at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Midwest Bank: St. Viator High School graduate Yarema Nagadzhyna and William Wisser, both of Mount Prospect, were chosen to receive $750 scholarships from Midwest Bank's Mount Prospect branch. Nagadzhyna plans to attend Loyola University and major in biology. He hopes to attend medical school one day.
"These very impressive young people were chosen by a blue ribbon committee of bank customers from a field of applicants which represented six high schools," said John Eilering, Area President, Northwest. "We are very pleased to offer them our financial and moral support in their upcoming higher education journeys."
Northwest Suburban United Way: Maine West High School graduate Jose Espinoza of Des Plaines earned the $4,000, four-year United Way George Gattas Memorial Scholarship. He will study health care finance at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Runners-up, receiving $1,000 each, were Maine South High School graduate Samantha Reich of Harwood Heights who will attend the University of Notre Dame and St. Viator High School graduate Mary Kate Supplit of Arlington Heights who will attend Georgetown University.
Kiwanis Club: The Mount Prospect Kiwanis Club honored three local students with $1,000 scholarships. The Kiwanis asks that their winners pursue vocational training or higher education aimed at improving the lives of youth, according to Mayor Irvana Wilks, a Kiwanis member.
This year's winners were Stephanie Durkacz and Nicole Logis, graduates of Hersey High School, and Diana Margetis, graduate of Prospect High School. All three are residents of Mount Prospect.
Durkacz will attend St. Louis University in the fall while Logis will attend Illinois State University and Margetis will attend Oakton Community College.
ˆ Noon Rotary Club: The Mount Prospect-Prospect Heights Noon Rotary Club has chosen four graduates to receive a $2,000 stipend.
This year's winners are Emily Logar and Courtney McGinnis of Prospect High School, Andrea Auclair of St. Ignatius Prep School and Yarema Nagadzhyna of St. Viator High School.
Logar will attend Illinois State University to study elementary education. McGinnis plans to study at Illinois Wesleyan University. Auclair will attend American University in Washington, D.C., to major in international studies. And Nagadzhyna, who also received a scholarship from Midwest Bank, will major in biology at Loyola University.
Woman's Club: The Mount Prospect Woman's Club awarded three $1,000 scholarships this year, according to Carolyn Condon. The Woman's Club chooses its recipients based on extracurricular activities, employment history, academic record and family situation, Condon says. All must live in Mount Prospect. Winners are: Stephanie O'Connor, a graduate of Prospect High School, who will study elementary education at DePaul University; William Wisser, previously mentioned with the Lions Club; and Veronika Vasileva, a graduate of Wheeling High School who will study international business at Loyola University.
ˆ Prospect Teacher-Parent Council: Four students from Prospect High School received scholarships from the school's teacher-parent organization.
Julie Provenza of Mount Prospect received the $500 service scholarship for contributing at least 100 hours of volunteer service to the community within the last year. She will attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to study secondary education and math.
Academic scholarships of $1,000 each were awarded to Michael Styzek of Mount Prospect, who also received a scholarship from the Lions Club, and Erika Hansen and Alexandra Moxley of Arlington Heights. Hansen will major in biology at the University of Notre Dame. She hopes to attend veterinary school. Moxley will attend Indiana University where she will major in biology and minor in French.
Congratulations to all of these outstanding young people!