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Des Plaines Community Foundation Offers Four $1,500 Scholarships For College Students


The five 2018 recipients for the Foundation scholarships are Michael Bilotich, Caty Buchaniec and Bhagirath Mehta from Maine West High School; Hazel Patel from Maine East High School, and Hannah Siebert from Elk Grove High School. Zack Nelson received the Sadie Rose Leadership Award.

Des Plaines Community Foundation (DPCF) is offering four $1,500 scholarships to 2019 local college students. This is the seventh year the foundation has offered scholarships for both two and four-year college students and the deadline for applying is April 19.

According to Rosemary Argus, executive director of the foundation, the scholarships are available for both two and four-year college students starting school in 2019. Awardees will be notified by April 26.

“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.”

In 2018 there was a tie so the foundation gave five scholarships. The 2018 recipients for the foundation scholarships are Michael Bilotich, Caty Buchaniec and Bhagirath Mehta from Maine West High School; Hazel Patel from Maine East High School, and Hannah Siebert from Elk Grove High School. They were chosen out of more than 40 applicants who applied in the 2017 school year.

The DPCF scholarship committee trustees are Rich Holke, Kimberly Potokar, Mark Lucaccioni, Sandra Hansen, Kathy Puetz, Margaret Polovchak, Sherry Gardner and Dick Sayad. They will be judging 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 Holke, chairman of the foundation scholarship committee. “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 2018 to be eligible.”

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

The students are required to provide a 100-word statement of their personal goals and a 500-word essay about how they have participated in community service or worked to support themselves or their family. A copy of high school transcripts, that include a cumulative GPA, is also required.

Students must complete a scholarship program application which can be downloaded at www.desplainescommunityfoundation.org/scholarship.

If any of the required paperwork is missing, the applicant’s submission is automatically disqualified from the review process. Students should not send additional documentation than what is required. It will not be considered in the review process.

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 that live and work in Des Plaines.

 

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