Growing the Warhawk Lancer Scholarship program is the key to North Chicago School District 187 Superintendent John Price’s goal of guaranteeing a college or trade school education to every high school graduate in the district.
“We want college to be a promise to every single graduate, if that is what they want,” Price said. “We want to make that promise to a sixth grader, and help the kids see the possibilities. This is their first step toward career-oriented, family sustaining jobs.”
Warhawk Lancer scholars receive not only tuition and fees at the College of Lake County, but Price said they also get books, a laptop computer, a $3,000 stipend to help with living expenses and counseling to help with any issues which may arise along the way.
Heading to the College of Lake County as Warhawk Lancer scholars are 20 North Chicago Community School students who graduated Saturday in North Chicago without the financial burden often associated with higher education.
Yadira Mendia, a 2021 North Chicago graduate, spent the past two years as a Warhawk Lancer scholar at CLC. She is about to graduate as a patient care tech, and plans to start work on a four-year university degree to become a registered nurse.
“Mostly, I will be helping people who just got out of surgery,” she said of her position at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital. “I did not think this would happen so fast.”
Mendia said the scholarship helped her in a variety of ways. The stipend meant she could concentrate on her studies during the week, while only working on weekends to help her family.
“It helped me be a lot more independent,” she said. “It really took the pressure off me and my family.”
Araceli Mena, an embedded College of Lake County college and career navigator at North Chicago high school, helps play a role guiding students to the Warhawk Lancer Scholarship. She said in an email she is excited to see the impact. It goes beyond money.
“The students feel seen, knowing they have one less thing to worry about,” Mena said. “The opportunity also helps destigmatize the community college reputation as demonstrated by the increasing number of students who are applying to the scholarship.”
As students enter the newly built, state-of-the-art Neal Math and Science Academy middle school funded by a $40 million gift from AbbVie, Price said the process of the college guarantee starts. They see possibilities around them, and college becomes a thought.
Price said the scholarships are funded by the North Chicago Public Education Foundation. Independent of District 187, he and others raise the money for the grants through a variety of sources.
After handing out 20 Warhawk Lancer Scholarships this year and four other “full rides,” Price said the foundation’s goal is to get to 40 in the next few years and move ahead from there. There were 16 last year, and 11 the year before.
Last year, a golf outing organized by Faith Lutheran Church in Lake Forest raised approximately $48,000. Evie Bennett, a church member who helps organize the event, hopes to do better this year. She said the church wants to remove some of the burdens of higher education for the youngsters.
“A lot of them are first-generation college students,” Bennett said. “This will help them achieve whatever they want to be.”
This year’s golf outing takes place Sept. 23 at the Foss Park Golf Course in North Chicago. Price said an individual entry is $150, with sponsorships from $100 to $5,000 available.
Gifts arrive large and small to help the fund. Price said a significant donor over the years has been the Gorter Family Foundation based in Lake Bluff. Cheri Richardson, who is affiliated with the Gorter foundation, said mentorship in the program is also key.
“We don’t want them to struggle,” Richardson said. “We want them to have the support they need in every way. We meet with some of them. They’re unbelievably impressive.”
