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PSC Announces Trustee Scholarships For 2008-09 Academic Year


Chicago Heights, IL–(ENEWSPF)– Twenty-four individuals received Trustee Scholarships from Prairie State College (PSC) for the 2008-09 academic year.

The scholarships are awarded to graduates of high schools within the PSC district to recognize outstanding accomplishments, high academic achievement, and an overall commitment to personal excellence. This year, scholarships were awarded in the categories of Valedictorian, Honor, Achievement, Technical, GED Valedictorian, GED Salutatorian, and Project Hope.

“The PSC Trustee Scholarships provide both monetary support and encouragement to those students with a proven academic record of high achievement,” said Mary Reaves, vice president of student affairs.

A Trustee Valedictorian Scholarship was awarded to Emmanuel Ramirez, of Sauk Village (Bloom Trail High School), who was the valedictorian of his high school graduating class.

Trustee Honor Scholarships were awarded to students who had at least a 3.25 GPA or better in high school and completed a scholarly essay on personal achievement. This year’s winners are Erica Arechiga, of Chicago Heights (Marian Catholic High School); Ivette Covarrubias, of Chicago Heights (Bloom Township High School); Darren Heldt, of Monee (Crete-Monee High School); Ikechuwku Isewede, of Flossmoor (Homewood-Flossmoor High School); Maria Johnson, of Richton Park (Rich South High School); and Nicholas Meyer, of Beecher (Beecher High School).

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Trustee Achievement Scholarships were awarded to students who had a high school grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale, completed a scholarly essay on personal achievement and demonstrated significant achievement in student leadership, community, and/or public service. This year’s winners are Mark Biagi, of Glenwood (Homewood-Flossmoor High School); Lauren Krabbe, of Chicago Heights (Marian Catholic High School); Chad Kirian, of Olympia Fields (Rich Central High School); Mayra Orozco, of South Chicago Heights (Bloom Township High School); Heather Richardson, of University Park (Crete-Monee High School); Ebony Rogers, of Olympia Fields (Rich Central High School); and Cayla Wiegele, of Beecher (Beecher High School).

Trustee Technical Scholarships were awarded to students who had a high school GPA of at least 3.0 and completed a scholarly essay on personal achievement. This year’s winners are Ashley Bedell, of Matteson (Rich South High School); Barbara Blaies, of Steger (Homewood-Flossmoor High School); Latoya Brand, of Park Forest (Rich East High School); Kenyanna Freels, of University Park (Crete-Monee High School); Kayla Lopez, of Glenwood (Bloom Township High School); Lindsay Meyer, of Chicago Heights (Marian Catholic High School); Martin Nissen, of Beecher (Beecher High School); and Brian Plough, of Country Club Hills (Rich Central High School).

Sara Tanner, of Park Forest, received a GED Valedictorian Scholarship, and Tonya Mazurkiewicz, of Chicago Heights, received a GED Salutatorian Scholarship. These two scholarships are awarded each year to the two highest-scoring graduates of PSC’s GED program.

Jeremiah Hernandez and Nicolle Trujillo, both of Chicago Heights (Bloom Township High School) received Trustee Scholarships for their participation in Project Hope, which promotes higher education among Latino students.

Board Chairman Mark Fazzini said, “It was such a pleasure to be part of the process to further the educational goals for such outstanding students from our district. The Board of Trustees was amazed by the caliber of excellence with this year’s participants from our district high schools and the GED Program.”

For more information about Trustee Scholarships, call the PSC financial aid office at (708) 709-3562.

Psc Offers Kids@College After School Programs

Prairie State College (PSC) is providing the opportunity for children to develop their study skills or learn a new language at the Kids@College After School Program. All classes are held at PSC’s Matteson Area Center, 4821 Southwick Dr., Matteson.

The Kids@College After School Program begins the week of September 15. Classes meet two days a week for eight weeks from 4:30 to 6 p.m. The cost is $139 and includes the following choices.

Spanish for Beginners teaches students basic Spanish phrases. There are two offerings for this class. Class for children ages 8-12 is held on Mondays and Wednesdays, and class for children ages 13-14 is held on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Sign Language for Beginners teaches students basic phrases and fingerspelling. This class meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays and is geared to students ages 8-12.

Study Smart teaches students how to organize time to be successful in school. This class meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays and also is geared to children ages 8-12.

A complete schedule of non-credit classes, including classes for young people, titled /Personal & Professional, /was mailed to district households and also is available on campus, at area public libraries, and online at matteson.prairiestate.edu. For more information or to register, call (708) 709-3750.

PSC Foundation Awards Grants to Benefit Students

The Prairie State College (PSC) Foundation annually awards nearly $100,000 in scholarships to PSC students. Sources of scholarship assistance include funds raised through foundation-sponsored events, money donated/designated from generous individuals, businesses, community organizations, and endowments with the foundation.

In addition to scholarship assistance, the foundation provides funding for special projects to enhance the learning experience of PSC students through the Special Request Fund. Established in 2006 with unrestricted donations, the fund supports learning opportunities submitted by PSC faculty and staff, which are beyond the college’s budget. The special projects funded by the foundation provide additional resources to enhance student learning.

One example is the “Tapes for Veterans History Project.” The foundation grant will make possible the purchase of mini video cassettes to record veteran interviews for archiving in the Library of Congress.

The “Human Rights Festival Speaker” project will enhance Reading 098 students’ study of genocide with a first-hand account from a Holocaust survivor.

Another opportunity made possible by the PSC foundation is a lecture by “David R. Phillips,” who discovered the historic cache of photographic prints made in Chicago. This lecture will be open to the public at a date to be announced.

The photography program will benefit from the “Photo Resource Center Film Scanner” project. It will fund equipment needed to convert 7,000 film slides to digital format for learning and analysis. The Prairie State College Foundation is dedicated to providing assistance to talented and financially deserving students. For those interested in donating to the foundation, call (708) 709-3636, or visit prairiestate.edu and click on “Foundation.”

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