Elgin Area School District U-46 announces 20 winners of the Superintendent's Scholarship

Twenty Elgin Area School District U-46 Class of 2020 members will move on to college in the fall with a $1,000 Superintendent's Scholarship. All are first-generation college-bound students, with four winners from each of the district's five comprehensive high schools; Bartlett, Elgin, Larkin, South Elgin and Streamwood.

“These first generation students have proven through their academic and extracurricular accomplishments that they are college-ready, poised to take on the challenges of continuing their education past high school,” said U-46 Superintendent Tony Sanders. “We look forward to watching these students continue to succeed in college and beyond.”

Since the Superintendent's Scholarship fund was established in 2012 through the U-46 Educational Foundation, nearly 250 U-46 graduates, including this year's recipients, have each received a $1,000 scholarship.

Eligible seniors submitted applications for the scholarship this past winter. The application included their high school transcript, a copy of their Federal Student Aid application, a letter of recommendation from an adult (a principal, teacher, academic advisor, employer, religious leader, etc.) and a personal essay.

A panel of judges selected the 20 scholarship recipients.

On April 23, recipients participated in a Zoom networking workshop led by former board of education member Traci O'Neal Ellis who emphasized the skills needed to make a good first impression and demonstrate self-confidence. Yvonne Irving from KCT Credit Union also spoke with the students. She addressed topics such as financial aid, student loans, and establishing a line of credit.

The 20 Class of 2020 Superintendent's Scholarship recipients are as follows:

• Bartlett High School: Grant Simmons, Karina Flores, Michael Ian Rabanal and Sophie Praxmarer

• Elgin High School: Arielle Taylor, Briauna Brown, Emily Acevedo, and Monserrat Ponce

• Larkin High School: Berenice Gomez, Edson Rangel, Marteena Mendel-Duckins, and Ricardo Golden-Garcia

• South Elgin High School: Dulce Aguilar, Hannah Kolbusz, Karolina Terlikowski and Mercedes Alejandre

• Streamwood High School: Brandon Munoz, Gabriella Cardinale, Kaleb Louden and Lynise Gutierrez.