In its fourth year, CTA’s Red and Purple Modernization (RPM) scholarship program, created by CTA and RPM contractor Walsh-Fluor, helps Chicago teens pursue degrees in construction and engineering-related fields
Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) today announced that applications are now being accepted for the “CTA Elevating Futures Scholarship Fund”, an innovative program that provides a path for economically disadvantaged youth to pursue education and careers in construction and engineering.
Created in partnership with the Walsh-Fluor Design-Build team — the contractor for CTA’s historic $2.1 billion Red and Purple Modernization (RPM) Phase One Project — the scholarship program provides aid to students who plan to pursue four-year degrees in construction management, civil engineering, industrial engineering or systems engineering. Specifically, the scholarship program was created to help economically disadvantaged students to pursue an education in fields that historically create barriers for low-income students. The unique program provides $5,500 per year for four years, mentoring support and guidance in career development opportunities.
“It’s important as a city that we invest in our youth and prepare them to be leaders of tomorrow,” said Mayor Lightfoot. “This innovative scholarship program provides students from low-income backgrounds the opportunity to realize their potential to the fullest.”
“With every CTA project, we are committed to creating opportunity and promoting inclusion for Chicagoans across the city,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. “We are pleased to partner with Walsh-Fluor to offer these opportunities to students interested in careers in transportation, construction and engineering.”
“We are excited to offer this scholarship to our committed and talented class of 2023,” said CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. “Elevating Futures gives these students the opportunities they need to succeed and reflects a city-wide commitment to support our rising innovators and leaders.”
“These scholarship recipients are not only receiving financial and academic assistance, but they’re also getting work experience as interns in the construction and engineering fields,” Walsh-Fluor Project Executive David Shier said. “Our intent is for this program to provide everything these students need to launch successful careers.”
“The Elevating Futures Scholarship Fund has gone above and beyond to provide our financially under-resourced and first-generation Scholars with the financial supports, mentoring and internship opportunities they need for long-term success in science, technology, engineering and math,” said Jeffery Beckham, Jr., Chicago Scholars CEO. “Chicago Scholars is proud to partner with Walsh-Fluor and the CTA to deliver best-in-class opportunities for Chicago students.”
“The Elevating Futures scholarship has allowed me to bring my dream to a reality,” said Loyola University student Axel Hernandez, a past scholarship recipient. “I’ve always wanted to go to college and I want to be the first person in my family to graduate from college, and get a degree in Business Administration and create a construction business for me and my family.”
To date, eight students from across the city of Chicago, including the Back of the Yards, Bridgeport, Hegewisch, Humboldt Park, Portage Park, Rogers Park, and Austin neighborhoods, have received scholarships from the “CTA Elevating Futures Scholarship Fund,” which is administered by Chicago Scholars, a nonprofit dedicated to college access, and college-success leadership development for first-generation and low-income students in Chicago. Scholarships have been awarded to graduates of Lake View High School, Lane Tech College Prep, Gary Comer College Prep, EPIC Academy High School, William Jones College Prep, Sullivan High School, and Austin College and Career Academy.
The first-of-its-kind CTA initiative provides scholarships, mentoring support and career guidance for under-resourced college students. The scholarship program is administered by Chicago Scholars, a nonprofit dedicated to college access, college success and leadership development for first-generation and low-income students in Chicago.
This will be the fourth and final round of this scholarship. Donated by Walsh-Fluor to help offset tuition costs for CPS graduates, the $250,000 ‘CTA Elevating Futures Scholarship Fund’ will have provided 10 financial aid scholarships from 2020 through 2023. The students who are awarded scholarships are also eligible to apply for paid summer internships with Walsh-Fluor and the CTA.
Applications are due March 1, 2023. For more information about this program, visit CTA’s website or Chicago Scholars’ website.
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La alcaldesa Lightfoot, CTA y CPS anuncian que la beca “CTA Elevating Futures Scholarship Fund”
En su cuarto año, el programa de becas universitarias del proyecto de Modernización de las Líneas Roja y Morada (RPM, por sus siglas en inglés), creado por CTA y la compañía constructora del proyecto, Walsh-Fluor, ayuda a los adolescentes de Chicago a obtener títulos en carreras relacionadas con la construcción y la ingeniería
La alcaldesa Lori E. Lightfoot, la Autoridad de Tránsito de Chicago (CTA, por sus siglas en inglés), y las Escuelas Públicas de Chicago (CPS, por sus siglas en inglés) anunciaron hoy que se están aceptando solicitudes para la beca “CTA Elevating Futures Scholarship Fund”, un programa innovador que abre paso a los jóvenes desfavorecidos económicamente para que tengan estudios y carreras en construcción e ingeniería.
Creado en colaboración con el equipo de Walsh-Fluor Design-Build, la compañía constructora a cargo del histórico Proyecto de Modernización de las Líneas Roja y Morada Fase Uno (RPM) de 2,100 millones de dólares, el programa de becas brinda ayuda a estudiantes que planean obtener títulos de cuatro años en administración de la construcción, ingeniería civil, ingeniería industrial o ingeniería en sistemas. Específicamente, el programa de becas fue creado para ayudar a los estudiantes desfavorecidos económicamente a emprender una educación en campos laborales que históricamente crean barreras para los estudiantes de bajos ingresos. Este programa único proporciona $5,500 cada año durante cuatro años, apoyo de tutoría y orientación en oportunidades de desarrollo profesional.
“Es importante que la ciudad invierta en nuestros jóvenes y los prepare para que sean los líderes del mañana”, dijo la alcaldesa Lightfoot. “Este innovador programa de becas brinda a los estudiantes de bajos ingresos la oportunidad de desarrollar su potencial al máximo”.
“En cada proyecto de CTA, estamos comprometidos a crear oportunidades y promover la inclusión para los habitantes de Chicago en toda la ciudad”, dijo Dorval R. Carter, Jr., presidente de CTA. “Nos complace asociarnos con Walsh-Fluor para ofrecer estas oportunidades a los estudiantes interesados en carreras de transporte, construcción e ingeniería”.
“Nos entusiasma ofrecer esta beca a nuestra clase dedicada y talentosa de 2023”, señaló Pedro Martínez, director general de CPS. “Elevating Futures les brinda a estos estudiantes las oportunidades que necesitan para tener éxito y refleja un compromiso por parte de toda la ciudad de apoyar a nuestros líderes e innovadores del futuro”.
“Estos becarios no solo reciben asistencia financiera y académica, sino que también obtienen experiencia laboral como pasantes en los campos de la construcción y la ingeniería”, dijo David Shier, ejecutivo del proyecto de Walsh-Fluor. “Nuestra intención es que este programa proporcione todo lo que estos estudiantes necesitan para emprender carreras exitosas”.
“La beca Elevating Futures Scholarship Fund ha trabajado de manera exhaustiva para proporcionar a nuestros becarios de primera generación y de bajos recursos, los apoyos financieros, la tutoría y las oportunidades de participar en prácticas profesionales que necesitan para el éxito a largo plazo en ciencia, tecnología, ingeniería y matemáticas”, dijo Jeffrey Beckham, Jr., director ejecutivo de Chicago Scholars. “Chicago Scholars se enorgullece de asociarse con Walsh-Fluor y CTA para ofrecer las mejores oportunidades a los estudiantes de Chicago”.
“La beca Elevating Futures me ha permitido hacer realidad mi sueño”, dijo el estudiante de la Universidad de Loyola Axel Hernández, beneficiario de una beca anterior. “Siempre he querido ir a la universidad y quiero ser la primera persona en mi familia en graduarse de la universidad, obtener un título en Administración de Empresas y crear un negocio en construcción para mí y mi familia”.
CTA Elevating Futures Scholarship Fund es la primera iniciativa de CTA de su tipo y hasta la fecha ha proporcionado becas a ocho estudiantes a través de la ciudad de Chicago, incluyendo residentes de los vecindarios del Barrio de las Empacadoras, Bridgeport, Hegewisch, Humboldt Park, Portage Park, Rogers Park y Austin. El programa es administrado por Chicago Scholars, una organización sin fines de lucro dedicada al acceso a la universidad, el éxito universitario y el desarrollo de liderazgo para estudiantes de primera generación y de bajos ingresos en Chicago. Se han otorgado becas a graduados de Lake View High School, Lane Tech College Prep, Gary Comer College Prep, EPIC Academy, William Jones College Prep, Sullivan High School y Austin College and Career Academy.
Esta será la cuarta y última ronda de esta beca de $250,000, donada por Walsh-Fluor para ayudar a compensar los costos de las colegiaturas de los graduados de CPS. La beca CTA Elevating Futures Scholarship Fund habrá proporcionado 10 becas de ayuda financiera desde 2020 hasta 2023. Los estudiantes que reciben becas también son elegibles para solicitar prácticas profesionales de verano pagadas, en Walsh-Fluor y CTA.
Las solicitudes serán aceptadas hasta el 1.o de marzo de 2023. Para obtener más información sobre este programa, visite el sitio web de CTA o el sitio web de Chicago Scholars.
Space remains for ninth, eleventh and twelfth grade high school students within the Chicago Public School district to claim an open seat at Rowe-Clark Math & Science Academy, one of the Noble Network of Charter Schools’ 17 campuses across Chicago. Noble schools are public schools, open to any student in Chicago, with no testing required for admission, and just like all CPS schools, they charge no tuition.
U.S. News & World Report recently recognized nine Noble high schools in the top 100 of Illinois, plus eight of the top 25 in all of CPS. Chicago Magazine named Noble schools as 13 of the top 40 high schools in the city and the Niche research group named all 17 Noble high schools to their list of the top 30 charter schools in Illinois.
This fall, all Noble students will have access to technology for their homes to be ready for remote learning. To help overcome the digital divide in so many Chicago households throughout CPS, all 12,000 Noble students will have received access to personal technology. All students will have a Chromebook to utilize as their own 1:1 device, and students that have expressed a need for home Wi-Fi will receive a hotspot for educational use.
“We reallocated a sizable portion of our operational budget toward technology purchases for our students to maximize their potential for successful remote learning,” said Mike Madden, Chief Operating Officer for Noble. “Our students’ health and safety comes first, but fostering an environment for academic excellence follows closely behind, so as our network’s theme states this fall, we believe we are indeed ready for remote learning.”
Hundreds of Noble’s parents, students, teachers, and staff shared their ideas and feedback for successful remote learning. A clear and succinct outline of Noble’s #ReadyForRemote plan is available at www.NobleSchools.org.
“This plan will allow us to prioritize a commitment to health and safety for our students, teachers, and staff, while continuing our focus on academic results and social-emotional support,” said Constance Jones, CEO of Noble. “There is no doubt this school year will be a historic one. We prepare for the launch of school while a pandemic has changed every aspect of our lives, while our city grapples with the legacy and reality of systemic racism and while we reaffirm, loudly, Black lives matter. Amidst all of this, I have never been more confident for our community to meet the moment.”
For interested students and their families, please visit www.NobleSchools.org and click on the Enroll tab.
Erie Elementary Charter School is now enrolling!
Space is now available for the 2020-2021 school year, join our community of students, teachers and parents! We are a dual-language free public charter school in Humboldt Park offering reading, writing and speaking in Spanish and English. We pride ourselves on having small classroom sizes and have a social and emotional learning program for all students. We provide students with indoor and outdoor gym, music and art classes, as well as after school enrichment programs. At Erie we value education and set our goals on higher education from the very beginning, each year our children take class field trips to colleges and we offer support for parents and students after graduation.
For more information contact Monica Garcia mgarcia@eriecharterschool.org
¡Erie Elementary Charter School inicia inscripciones!
Las inscripciones se encuentran ahora disponibles para el ciclo escolar de 2020-2021, únete a nuestra comunidad de estudiantes, maestros y padres! Somos una escuela chárter gratis con programas bilingüe en Humboldt Park, ofrecemos programas de lectura, escritura y conversación en español e inglés. Nos orgullece contar con clases en grupos pequeños y con programas de desarrollo social y emocional para todos los estudiantes. Ofrecemos clases de gimnasio al interior y exterior de la escuela, clases de música, así como programas de aprovechamiento después de clases. En Erie valoramos la educación, por lo que nos enfocamos en fomentar la educación media superior de nuestros estudiantes desde el principio, cada año se organizan excursiones escolares a universidades además de ofrecer apoyo a padres y estudiantes para después de graduarse.
Para más información contactar a Monica Garcia mgarcia@eriecharterschool.org
For eligible freshmen, new aid program would help fully cover 2020-21 tuition, fees
Illinois high school students who graduate this coming spring with a 3.0 cumulative GPA or above might now be able to reap the benefits of a generous financial aid program at Northern Illinois University.
The new Huskie Pledge aims to make NIU more affordable for Illinois families with household incomes of $75,000 or less. For qualifying full-time students, the Huskie Pledge Program will provide a grant to help completely cover first-year tuition and general fees.
“Our Huskie Pledge is yet another step toward our goal of making a life-changing NIU education affordable and accessible to as many students as possible,” said NIU President Lisa Freeman, who announced the program during her Oct. 22 State of the University address. “If you’re a hard-working student, we want to help you succeed at NIU and beyond.”
Determined after factoring in a qualifying student’s initial institutional, federal and state aid (including Pell Grants and Monetary Award Program grants), a Huskie Pledge Grant will meet the amount of any remaining first-year expenses for tuition and general fees.
If income, enrollment and university GPA criteria continue to be met, the same Huskie Pledge Grant amount received during the initial year of NIU enrollment will be renewable for up to four additional years, regardless of increases or decreases in other aid during subsequent years.
The program is open to freshmen starting at NIU in the fall of 2020. Funding is limited, and students should apply for admission to NIU and file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or Illinois RISE Act application by the priority deadline of Feb. 1.
Key qualifying criteria for the award include the following:
- Illinois residency.
- A cumulative 3.0 grade point average at an Illinois high school.
- Graduation from high school during the 2019-20 school year.
- A family income of $75,000 or less.
- Family assets of $75,000 or less (as defined by the FAFSA).
- Fall 2020 enrollment at NIU as a full-time student.
Sol Jensen, vice president for the Division of Enrollment Management, Marketing and Communication, said the Huskie Pledge is designed to support the university’s mission as an institution providing access to and serving talented incoming students who reflect Illinois’ broad socioeconomic diversity.
“We think this is one of the more generous financial aid programs in the state, one that makes our university even more accessible to students of all backgrounds,” Jensen said. “If you’re a high school student currently carrying close to a 3.0 GPA, you should be checking out NIU to see if you qualify. We’re eager to see you become a Huskie.”
The Huskie Pledge Program is supported by funding from the State of Illinois.
In addition to need-based financial aid, thousands of NIU students each year receive grants and earn merit scholarships that have no family-income requirements. When students apply for admission to NIU, they are automatically considered for the merit aid.
Learn more about the Huskie Pledge. For general information on financial aid and merit scholarships at NIU, visit the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office website.
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Northern Illinois University is a student-centered, nationally recognized public research university, with expertise that benefits its region and spans the globe in a wide variety of fields, including the sciences, humanities, arts, business, engineering, education, health and law. Through its main campus in DeKalb, Illinois, and education centers for students and working professionals in Chicago, Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Oregon and Rockford, NIU offers more than 100 areas of study while serving a diverse and international student body.
This past weekend ComEd hosted fifty Chicagoland freshman students at the Art Institute of Chicago to further develop their STEM skills and enhance their understanding of the fundamentals of energy, smart-city technologies and sustainability. This session is a part of the ComEd HFS Chicago Scholars STEM Program that launched in December, offered exclusively to students in the HFS Scholars program, which helps socioeconomically-disadvantaged, and flourishing students attend top Chicago private high schools.
The STEM program includes five immersive workshops per academic year for four years where students gain project-based experience with the mentoring of professional engineers. The working session held on Saturday, March 2nd, was the third of the five workshops with the creative backdrop of the Art Institute of Chicago. Impressively, the students continue to show a consistent commitment to STEM education as well as a high level of engagement. ComEd mentor and Engineer for ComEd, Oke Chika also added to the students’ enthusiasm by leading interactive discussions regarding their future career opportunities and STEM applications in the real world.
Win a $1,000 scholarship to St. Sylvester School!
Enter the raffle at St. Sylvester Fest on October 7, 2017. The Winner will be announced the following week and will receive a $1,000 scholarship. To enter you must attend St. Sylvester Fest and MUST BE A NEW FAMILY. Tours to the school will also be offered during the fest. Share our post/page with family and friends so they can #DiscoverTheDifference. Stop by or call St. Sylvester School to set up a tour and get all enrollment questions answered.