Joliet Public Schools District 86 students, from Joliet area schools will receive a Joliet Region $1,000 Hawk Education Scholarship to encourage them to plan for college at an early age. Students in grades 4-8 who maintained a grade point average of 3.75 or above on a 4.0 scale and demonstrated service to their school or community were nominated by their school for the award. The scholarships will be held in a trust until the students graduate high school and enroll in a college, university, or trade school.
Forty-three students received the scholarship this year, including the following Joliet District 86 students: T.E. Culbertson Elementary: Joselyn Alcantar, 5th Grade; M.J. Cunningham Elementary: Leo Gonzalez, 4th Grade; Dirksen Junior High: Joanna Swearengen, 8th Grade; Eisenhower Academy: Adelyn Urbanczyk, 5th Grade; Farragut Elementary: Carly Hill, 5th Grade; Forest Park Individual Education (I.E.) School: Jaylah Hernandez, 4th Grade; Gompers Junior High: Fabian Martinez, 7th Grade; Hufford Junior High: Andrea Ramirez, 8th Grade; Thomas Jefferson Elementary: Parker Hopkins, 5th Grade; Edna Keith Elementary; Savanna Jones, 5th Grade; A.O. Marshall Elementary: Anthony Gonzalez-Meza, 5th Grade; Pershing Elementary: Maya Tapia, 5th Grade; Sator Sanchez Elementary: Jimena Jimenez, 5th Grade; Carl Sandburg Elementary: Laila Jones, 5th Grade; Isaac Singleton Elementary: Isabella Salgado, 4th Grade; Taft Elementary: Aaliyah Hernandez, 4th Grade; Lynne Thigpen Elementary: Noah Daniels, 4th Grade; Washington Academy: Fernanda Villanueva, 8th Grade; and Woodland Elementary: Naomi Awinongya, 5th grade.
The Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce & Industry Education Committee established the Joliet Region Education Scholarship Program in 2014. Sponsors of this year’s program included Hawk Joliet and the Joliet Grade Schools Foundation for Educational Excellence.