Des Plaines foundation awards five scholarships
The Des Plaines Community Foundation awarded five, $1,500 scholarships to 2022 Des Plaines college-bound students. This is the 10th year the foundation has offered these scholarships.
The Sadie Rose Argus College Scholarship Awards were named after Sadie Rose Argus, a 2014 Maine West High School graduate, who volunteered hundreds of hours to the Des Plaines Community Foundation.
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 the fall of 2022.
"The foundation is celebrating a decade long effort helping young adults obtain a college education, and we view it as a sincere 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, especially after such a tough school year during COVID."
The five 2022 Sadie Rose Argus College Scholarship Award winners are:
• Lukasz Iwanowski, a recent graduate from Maine East High School. Iwanowski will be attending Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri, this fall and will be studying business at the university's Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business.
• Zeel Mody, a Maine East High School graduate, who will be attending Elmhurst University this fall. Mody will be majoring in criminal justice with minors in cybersecurity and psychology. She aspires to use these degrees to apply to the FBI Honors Internship program and the police academy after college.
• Prem Shah graduated from Maine East High School. He will attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to major in business. Shah is active in community service with two organizations, Light and Salt Academy and Rotary Interact.
• Lena Perry is attending the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to study computer science. Perry graduated from Maine West High School this year.
• Maryjo Coleman is attending Illinois State University in Normal, and will be pursuing a degree in English and history. She plans to teach middle-level education after graduation from college. Coleman recently graduated from Elk Grove High School.
Each will receive $1,500 toward their college tuition this fall.
The scholarship committee consists of five board members who read all the 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.
The DPCF scholarship committee trustees, who judged the student applications based on strict guidelines and required paperwork, are Rich Holke, Mark Lucaccioni, Chris Hassett, Sandra Hansen and Sherry Gardner.
"Students are required to be Des Plaines residents and have a GPA of 3.0 or higher," said Holke, president of the foundation, who helped the scholarship committee judge the 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 2022 to be eligible," Holke said.
To qualify, students must be enrolled for a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester. Graduate programs do not qualify.
The DPCF 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 that live and work in Des Plaines. Some of the 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 100 percent volunteer. The DPCF is a 501c3 organization and funds are obtained from individuals, businesses and corporate tax-deductible contributions, as well as from other foundations.
For information, visit www.desplainescommunityfoundation.org.