Des Plaines Community Foundation awards scholarships

The Des Plaines Community Foundation awarded five, $1,500 scholarships to 2021 Des Plaines college-bound students. This is the ninth year the foundation has offered scholarships.

According to Rosemary Argus, executive director of the foundation, the annual scholarships are available for both two- and four-year college students starting school in 2021.

"We believe that helping our young adults obtain a college education is an investment, not only in the future of our youth, but also in the future of Des Plaines," said Argus. "The scholarships will help bring a college degree within reach for students who need it most."

This year, all of the Des Plaines Community Foundation scholarships were renamed by the foundation board. Henceforth, all scholarships will be Sadie Rose Argus College Scholarship Awards. They are named after a 2014 Maine West graduate, Sadie Rose Argus, who volunteered hundreds of hours to the Des Plaines Community Foundation.

The five 2021 Sadie Rose Argus College Scholarship Award winners are: Nell Veronica Jakoniuk, Marrisa Parcell, Baily Celeste Saunders and Jesus Vallejo, all from Maine West High School, and Sarah Hussien from Maine East High School.

Each will receive $1,500 toward their college tuition.

The scholarship committee consists of five board members who read all 18 applications. The board members scored the applications one through five on the compositions and grades. Scores are tabulated and the top five scores win scholarships.

Here are the details on the five scholarship recipients:

• Nell Veronica Jakoniuk will graduate from Maine West High School. She will be attending University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and will study industrial design, minoring in psychology. She volunteered in the Key Club, local Self Help Closet and Pantry and was a tutor in the COACH Tutoring program at her high school. She was recently honored as one of District 207's Best for Community Service. Service to others and volunteerism have been a part of her life from a very young age.

"I can definitely say that my experiences in high school with Key Club and the National Honor Society have made a huge difference in my life," said Jakoniuk.

"I also helped paint the mural for the Self Help Closet and Food Pantry, volunteered in Blanket of Dreams and Feed My Starving Children throughout the years. I was also chosen to be the secretary of the Key Club in my senior year. I also organized neighborhood cleanup events with Key Club, National Honor Society, and the organization Clean Up and Give Back."

• Marissa Parcell will be attending Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis. She will be studying a double major of forensic and investigative science and biology, and plans to possibly attain a master's degree.

"I was directly admitted to the School of Science and accepted into the Honors College," said Parcell. "I am committed to my education and will continue to stay dedicated to working toward a successful career and future."

She will graduate from Maine West High School, where she was a Student Council officer, a tutor for two years and was a member of the school's band all four years.

"My work with UPS for DownS (United Parent Support for Down Syndrome) and involvement as a Student Council officer were important experiences in high school," she said.

"UPS for DownS is a Down Syndrome support group that helps bring together people with disabilities, and Student Council is a student leadership group that organizes activities, service and helps fellow students voice their opinions at Maine West. In addition, I received the Youth Volunteer of the Year Award for planning and raising more than $12,000 for UPS for DownS."

She also volunteered at her high school's Canned Food Drive, organized through the Student Council, benefiting the local food pantry in Des Plaines.

• Baily Celeste Saunders will graduate from Maine West High School. She plans to attend Juniata College, Huntington, Pennsylvania, and major in criminal justice and political science. She was a member of the National Honor Society. Her goal is to work for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency's foreign-intelligence sector.

"As a member of the National Honor Society, I was able to participate in more in-depth community service projects like Feed My Starving Children, and would schedule sessions two times a week," said Saunders.

"I also helped distribute food bags across the community during COVID-19 and supported Justice for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, worked to fight domestic abuse, supported plastic elimination and made cards for ill children through Cards for Hospitalized Kids."

• Jesus Vallejo will be attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, to study biology to prepare to be a physician assistant, concentrating on orthopedics. He will graduate from Maine West High School this year.

"I got a job working at Goodwill, which really helped with my communication skills and confidence because I was a bit of an introvert," said Vallejo.

"My time management skills have improved as well, because I had to balance AP classes, sports practice and work, but did it successfully. My original intention for working at Goodwill was to contribute financially to my education, but it became so much more in my life. It helped me develop as a person, and this kind of growth is priceless."

• Sarah Hussien will be attending University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to pursue a degree in political science. She will graduate from Maine East High School.

"I am extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to pursue higher education and hope to use my position to promote equity and advocate for those less fortunate," said Hussien. "The growing awareness of social issues and recent events have reaffirmed my vision of pursuing a career in public interest law. I try to use my role to advocate for others, and through this I know the path to being successful includes taking the initiative, remembering gratitude, and having faith in my commitment and purpose."

Hussien was a tutor at Maine East for the past three years and interned at the local library, assisting with children's programs and organizing events. She was also a member of the Human Rights Club.

The Des Plaines Community Foundation scholarship committee trustees are Rich Holke, Mark Lucaccioni, Chris Hassett, Sandra Hansen and Sherry Gardner. They judged the student applications based on strict guidelines and required paperwork.

"Students are required to be Des Plaines residents, have a GPA of 3.0 or higher," said Mark Lucaccioni, vice president of the foundation, who helped the scholarship committee judge the 18 applications. "High school seniors must be in the process of applying to or enrolled in an accredited undergraduate program at college, university, or vocational/technical institution during the fall semester of 2021 to be eligible."

To qualify, students must be enrolled for a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester. Graduate programs do not qualify.

The foundation raises funds to identify, link and mobilize assets to support the service programs of the Des Plaines Healthy Community Partnership Programs, whose activities improve the lives of those who live and work in Des Plaines.

Some of the foundation's programs include: Neighbors Helping Neighbors Program Committee; Healthy Community/Healthy Youth Program Committee; Intergenerational Program Committee, and Seasons of Service Program Committee.

The foundation has no paid employees and is all volunteers. The foundation is a 501(c) 3 organization and funds are obtained from individuals, businesses, and corporate tax-deductible contributions as well as from other foundations.

For more information, visit www.desplainescommunityfoundation.org or call Rosemary Argus at (847) 525-5566.