Two College of DuPage students receive Chicagoland Transfer Award to attend Columbia College Chicago
College of DuPage students Bridget Kingston and Natalie Brandy have been selected as Chicagoland Transfer Award recipients by Columbia College Chicago, with each receiving a $12,000 scholarship.
This is the third year Columbia offered the merit-based scholarships, which require students to submit an essay and to hold a 3.0 grade-point average.
More than 90 students from 21 community colleges applied for the award, which provides 10 $12,000 scholarships and one full-tuition scholarship to students transferring from Chicago-area community colleges to Columbia.
"The CTA essay asked scholarship applicants to describe how their community college experience has prepared them for success at Columbia," said Holly Herrera, Columbia College Associate Provost for Transfer Initiatives and Academic Partnerships. "Both Natalie and Bridget described College of DuPage as a place where they realized their goals. We look forward to supporting them today and in the years to come."
When Kingston enrolled at COD five years ago, she was uncertain what path she wanted to take. After a severe dance injury altered her path of becoming a professional ballerina, she decided to pursue her other passion - writing.
In her first semester she began writing and editing for COD's Student Newspaper, The Courier.
"It was through my time at The Courier that I learned how to work with a creative group, tackle social justice issues through print and tightening my writing and storytelling skills," she said. "Even though I'm not pursuing journalism, my time at The Courier taught me that there are innumerable careers in writing, publishing and editing. It opened the door to a career field that had previously seemed untouchable and gifted me the skills necessary to eventually pursue it."
Kingston, who earned an Associate in Arts degree in the spring, transfers to Columbia in the fall to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in English. In addition to her scholarship, she will be the first student to take advantage of the College of DuPage Columbia Transfer program.
"In the most modest of terms, College of DuPage put a name to my goal," Kingston said. "My professors became living examples of how I could channel my passion every day for the rest of my career. They painted the landscape of my dream job as an English teacher and handed me the roadmap to get there. Every bump I've experienced along the way has led me to Columbia's front steps, and I owe every last ounce of my preparedness to COD."
Brandy applied for the Chicagoland Transfer Award to afford housing on Columbia's campus.
"Any help I can get paying for college is a huge help to me and my family," she said. "With the extra money, I'm so grateful that I will be able to live in the city and get the four-year college experience."
After three semesters at a four-year university, Brandy changed her major to Arts Management. She then decided to move back home and begin classes at COD until she knew her next steps. During her time of transition, a close friend and a few family members suddenly passed away, creating a tumultuous semester for Brandy.
"COD was a fantastic resource and provided me with some stability when I needed it most," she said. "I took art classes that further solidified my decision to change my major. My semester at COD allowed me to take the appropriate amount of time to research schools and to make a decision for the next step in my education."
Brandy plans on earning a Bachelor of Arts at Columbia. She hopes her educational journey will lead her to a career at Broadway in Chicago, Chicago Shakespeare Theater or the Lyric Opera.
"As long as I'm involved in working behind the scenes for performing arts, I know I will be content," she said.