Palatine Chamber women's group awards scholarships
The Women Empowered Businesses networking group of the Palatine Area Chamber of Commerce recently awarded $1,000 scholarships to two high school seniors from the Palatine community.
Erin McGinn and Samantha Panfil, both from Palatine High School, accepted their awards during a luncheon earlier this month. This is the eighth consecutive year that WEB has granted scholarships to young women planning to pursue business degrees in college.
McGinn will be attending the University of Iowa, where she will be majoring in marketing. In addition to her academic achievements, including a 3.84 weighted GPA through seven semesters, McGinn was a three-year varsity starter on the Palatine High School volleyball team and captain her junior and senior years.
Her outstanding play earned her all-conference and all-area player honors and she also served as a volunteer youth volleyball coach with the Palatine Park District.
McGinn has been employed at Morkes Chocolates since 2021, and it was her experiences there that led her to shift from an early focus on engineering to pursue business classes her senior year. Her letters of recommendation described McGinn as hardworking, highly motivated, attentive, and a well-respected leader and mentor.
Panfil will be attending Harper College in the fall, working toward a degree in business administration with a minor in economics. She took extensive business classes at Palatine High School while maintaining a 4.37 weighted GPA through seven semesters.
Panfil was a member of the PHS Color Guard all four years, serving as captain of the varsity squad her junior and senior years. She also participated in the Drama Club and school musicals, was a member of the Service Club, and was inducted into both the National Honor Society and the National Business Honor Society.
Her letters of recommendation described Panfil as confident, creative, curious and with leadership skills and maturity beyond her years.
WEB congratulates both of these outstanding students and wishes them much success as they embark on their college careers.
To be eligible for the scholarship, female students needed a 2.75 or higher GPA with plans to attend a two- or four-year college or university in the fall of 2023 to pursue a degree in a business-related field.
Other criteria considered by the scholarship committee included business coursework in high school, employment experience, participation in clubs/activities/service/volunteer roles, three short response questions, and two letters of recommendation.
The $1,000 scholarship may be used for college tuition, fees, books or supplies.
This year's WEB scholarship committee consisted of Nancy Burgess, owner of Nancy Burgess Strategic Marketing; Deb Gabriel, financial adviser, Edward Jones; Linda Hall, president, Connect to Community; and Greta Nielsen, co-owner of Illuminate Therapy & Wellness.
Women Empowered Businesses is an active group of businesswomen who are interested in learning and networking with one another while discussing related topics. Meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month from noon to 1:30 p.m., and are divided between organized presentations and time for networking with other members in attendance.
The yearly membership fee to be a part of WEB is $60, which supports the annual scholarship fund. Registration for monthly meetings can be completed online at www.palatinechamber.com.
For information about the Women Empowered Businesses networking group, contact Greta Nielsen at gretan@illuminatingyou.com, Jenna Davison at jennad@fournapkin.com, or Sasha Ivanov at sasha.ivanov.vaahjq@statefarm.com.
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