On June 17 at the cultural Center in Chicago, the Chicago Scholars Foundation awarded scholarships of $1,000 each to 117 high school graduates. This year, three Chinese Americans received the honor. They are: Yi Huang of Kelly High School with interest in studying medical science at University of Illinois at Chicago; Michael Lee of Lane Tech, with interest in studying chemistry at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and Hui (Alice) Ye of Whitney Young High School interested in studying economics, Chinese language and pre-law at Northwestern University.
The Chicago Scholars Foundation sponsors several events for Chicago Scholars each year, including an annual awards ceremony for newly graduated seniors and a College Summit workshop for entering seniors. In addition, the foundation participates in fund raising activities and plans to sponsor various events throughout the year. Chicago Scholars are required to meet certain criteria. The student must live and attend high school--the high school that originally nominated the student--within the city of Chicago, maintain a 3.5 GPA or better, and plan to attend college. In addition, the Chicago Scholars Foundation seeks to recognize students who have succeeded despite facing difficulties, from economic disadvantages, gang influences, single-parent households, English as a second language, to being the first person in their family to attend college. Exceptional candidates who do not meet the criteria will be judged on a case by case basis.