LAS scholarship applications due in May

If you are looking for assistance through a scholarship, now is the time to apply! The deadline for the LAS common scholarship application is Friday, May 15.

The College of LAS offers a variety of scholarships to aid students in their educational and professional journeys. All scholarships are available for LAS students. For certain scholarships, you will need to meet certain criteria in order to apply, while others are open to all LAS students. You can now apply to multiple scholarships using the LAS common application. Using this one application, you will be considered for more than 25 different scholarships that will be awarded for the 2020-2021 school year. The application is easy – answer a few questions, upload a resume, and submit a couple of short essays. It’s worth your time! Last year, students were awarded more than $125,000 through these LAS scholarships. All current LAS undergraduates who will be continuing as full-time students in the next academic year are encouraged to apply, even students graduating in December.
While scholarships are open to all LAS students, additional scholarships are available to students who meet the following criteria. Students with these qualities and interests are especially encouraged to apply:

  • Juniors and seniors in STEM majors who are enrolled in the secondary education program
  • Students with a sibling or relative with Down Syndrome
  • First semester sophomores with 3.25+ GPAs who are/have worked to contribute to supporting themselves
  • Juniors and seniors who demonstrate leadership potential in business and entrepreneurship
  • Students studying:
    • biological sciences
    • economics
    • humanities
    • physical sciences
    • physics
    • secondary education

The LAS Life + Career Design Lab has scholarships available for students to support professional development experiences. The scholarship helps students who are participating in unpaid or underpaid experiences during the summer or academic school year. 

The work can be through an unpaid internship, undergraduate research, or volunteer experience. Awarded students will participate in a professional development seminar class where you create an e-portfolio about your experiences. To learn more about what is available to you, visit the Life + Career Design scholarship website. 

Some LAS students have shared how receiving scholarships from the College of LAS has impacted them: 

Tayisiya Tkachuk, is a junior majoring in communication and political science with a minor in Spanish. She received the Eakman Scholarship, which has helped her tremendously. 

“Receiving the Eakman Scholarship helped me be able to fulfill my long-term goal of participating in the Illinois in Washington program this fall, where I had the opportunity to intern with Sen. Tammy Duckworth. The Eakman Scholarship allowed me to be fully immersed in my experience interning in our nation’s capital without having to worry as much about finances.”

Britney Naolhu, is a sophomore majoring in molecular and cellular biology. She is extremely grateful for the scholarship that she received. 

“I am so grateful to have received the Wilmer E. Hellenthal LAS Scholarship for the 2019-2020 academic school year. This scholarship has helped alleviate the stress from financial burdens that weighed on my shoulders and has assisted in creating a solid financial foundation to support me through my academic endeavors. I am so thankful for this scholarship for allowing me to have the opportunity to shape my college career the way I want it to be by pursuing extra-curricular activities that interest me."

Olivia Diggins, a junior psychology major, said the assistance she received from her scholarship went beyond funding.

"The Evelyn M. Ebbert honors the late Illinois alumna Evelyn Ebbert, who inspired business women and created opportunities to achieve success. This scholarship has not only helped fund my education, but make my dreams of conquering the male-dominated corporate world a reality. This scholarship awards me the opportunity of focusing on my career goals in the legal field while reducing the financial stress that comes with an unmatched education. I am forever grateful for the doors the Evelyn Ebbert Scholarship opens for me and other aspiring business women."

Amber Redmond