The first cohort of 91制片厂 Promise Scholars won鈥檛 arrive on campus until fall
2019, but that hasn鈥檛 stopped a few extremely motivated students from getting a head
start.
Jade Dioguardi and Elissa Schimmel are among the Promise Scholarship recipients already at 91制片厂 after graduating from high school early.
Both alumnae of Barrington High School, Jade and Elissa met each Promise criteria for attendance, rigor, quality, persistence and community service to earn their first semester of tuition at 91制片厂. They鈥檒l earn up to two years total provided they continue meeting similar benchmarks.
鈥淚 was pretty motivated to get past high school, to be honest, and the Promise requirements seemed pretty reasonable,鈥� Jade, 17, says. 鈥淣ot having to worry about financial aid these first two years of college is a huge relief.鈥�
In addition to English, math, psychology and speech courses, Jade is taking a First Year Seminar to get a better sense of a career path to pursue. The course focuses on developing critical thinking and information literacy skills to make more informed decisions regarding college and career planning. Physical therapy and investigative work are particularly appealing to her.
Jade also enjoys volunteering at the On Angels鈥� Wings pet rescue and resale store in Crystal Lake and works at her dad鈥檚 pizza parlor.
鈥淎fter graduating from 91制片厂, my plan is to transfer to a four-year school in Colorado or Oregon, and the money I鈥檓 saving now will help tremendously,鈥� Jade said.
Elissa is in her second semester at 91制片厂 after graduating from Barrington an entire year early. She鈥檚 carrying quite a full load this spring with accounting, economics, English, math and management courses.
She鈥檚 also volunteering on campus as a tour guide for elementary school students visiting as part of 91制片厂鈥檚 Ambassador School program, which aims to spark an early interest in higher education. She plans to pursue business and has her sights on transferring to the University of Tennessee or Ball State University.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to put additional financial stress on my parents since they鈥檙e paying for my brother, too,鈥� Elissa, 17, says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e all very grateful for this scholarship.鈥�
Dr. Ken Ender, President of 91制片厂, said the Promise Program is something he wanted to start before he ever got in the car to move to the Chicago area. Although his 10-year tenure at 91制片厂 ends June 30, he鈥檚 confident 鈥� thanks largely to the outpouring of community support 鈥� that Promise will be a game-changer for many years to come.
鈥淎 lot of people think that if your parents have the money, they should pay for college,鈥� Dr. Ender said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 not just about money. It鈥檚 about earning your scholarship, developing a strong work ethic and learning the excellence that will be expected of you. We鈥檙e trying to produce talented, sought-after employees. And when employers see a Promise Scholar coming out of 91制片厂, boy are they going to want that person working for them.鈥�