Palatine Chamber’s WEB networking group awards scholarships

Palatine's Women Empowered Businesses (WEB) networking group recently awarded $1,000 college scholarships to two newly graduated high school seniors.

Kaelin Bertrand, of Palatine High School, and Melia Bohrer, of Fremd High School, accepted their award at WEB's annual scholarship fundraiser on May 16. This is the ninth year that WEB, the women's networking arm of the Palatine Area Chamber of Commerce, has supported young women planning to pursue business degrees in college.

Bertrand plans to major in business at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In addition to her academic achievements, including a 4.6 weighted GPA through seven semesters, Bertrand was a member of the National Business Honor Society and captain of the Poms Team. She also participated in numerous school and community activities.

Bohrer will be heading to Indiana University in Bloomington to pursue a marketing degree. She counts sports editor for the yearbook, Junior Class Board and peer mentor among her many school activities, all while maintaining a 4.5 weighted GPA.

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 2024 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 award may be used for 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 with Edward Jones; Linda Hall, president of Connect to Community; and Greta Nielsen, co-owner of Illuminate Therapy & Wellness.

Women Empowered Businesses (WEB) meets noon to 1:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month; the mission is to connect with, learn from and inspire women in the Palatine business community. Yearly membership costs $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, please contact Greta Nielsen at gretan@illuminatingyou.com, Jenna Davison at jennad@fournapkin.com, or Sasha Ivanov at sasha.ivanov.vaahjq@statefarm.com.