Category Archives: Scholarship Spotlight

Dalal El-Barbarawi holding a thank you sign
Feature 4, Scholarship Spotlight, Spring 2017

Scholarship Students Share Their Stories and Appreciation

When you attended Roosevelt University, there is a good chance you received help in the form of scholarship dollars either from an individual who established an endowed scholarship or directly from the University.

Thanks to the generosity of Roosevelt’s alumni and friends, scholarship dollars continue to provide the financial assistance that contributes to students’ success.

Our students are committed to the power of education and social justice practices that have defined Roosevelt since its founding in 1945. While they sometimes face challenges as they figure out how to meet financial needs, juggle work schedules, academic workloads and personal lives, these students also are extremely grateful for the financial assistance they receive — as you will see from their comments.

The stories shared here are about scholarships received both from endowed funds, which provide educational dollars in perpetuity, and annual scholarships, which are funds received for immediate use. Endowed scholarships and general scholarship money provide our students with the means to continue toward their goal of joining the ranks of proud Roosevelt University alumni.

Many of our students are the first in their families to go to college. They embrace the University’s mission and work very hard to obtain their degrees, and scholarships help them achieve their educational goals and dreams.

Dalal El-Barbarawi
Recipient of the Thomas P. Dengler Scholarship

Dalal El-Barbarawi holding a thank you sign

Dalal El-Barbarawi, a biochemistry major and recipient of the Thomas P. Dengler Scholarship, wrote of her Roosevelt experience: “The students and staff here truly believe in social justice and an equal opportunity for all. Better yet, the opportunities I have gained at Roosevelt in just my first semester are ones that I would have never received at any other higher learning institution. My first semester was filled with massive opportunity and amazing professors whom I will never forget!”

El-Barbarawi also wrote about the importance of receiving financial assistance: “This scholarship means a lot to me. With my father’s recent illness and inability to work, I had to take a full-time job to help fund my education. This scholarship helped me fund books and made another semester at Roosevelt possible.”

Sarah Kovich
Human Innovation Endowed Scholarship

Sarah Kovich holding thank you sign

Sarah Kovich, a Chicago College of Performing Arts violin major, wrote: “My anticipated degree is much more than a piece of paper to me. These past four years have been incredibly difficult personally and academically, but I made it this far because of my burning passion for music. Thank you for spending your time and resources to aid those who need it the most; your efforts are deeply appreciated.”

Alan Rojas
Recipient of the Milton Goodman Scholarship

Alan Rojas, a political science major and recipient of the Milton Goodman Scholarship, wrote of his future education plans: “I entered RU with a major in political science and just recently, I added a legal studies minor as well. I chose this specific major and minor because of the fact that I hope to one day become an immigration lawyer or a public defender. I believe this would be the most efficient way to give back to the community as well as ensure that social justice is legally extended to all people. I have such a passion for my major.”

He also wrote that his scholarship “was essential in allowing me to pursue a college education. I am the first in my family to go to college. We all sighed a breath of relief when my family heard I was lucky enough to receive the Milton Goodman Scholarship because it helped ease the financial burden.”

Robert Rugamba
Recipient of the Robert Miner Scholarship for Graduate Students

Robert Rugamba holding #YouMadeItPossible sign

Robert Rugamba, a graduate computer science student, received funds from the Robert Miner Scholarship for Graduate Students. He wrote that the scholarship has been “a great privilege and I’m grateful for your continued spirit of generosity. I hope to be as generous as you’ve been to me and the many other recipients of this great scholarship.”

You can help today with a gift toward annual scholarships through the general scholarship fund.

Please give online at giving.roosevelt.edu.

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Fall 2016, Feature 4, Scholarship Spotlight

American Dream Scholarships: Sponsored by BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois

American Dream Conference Roosevelt University

In September 2016, Roosevelt University hosted its inaugural American Dream Reconsidered Conference. In celebration of the event and to assist Roosevelt students, BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois, a title sponsor of the conference, generously established the American Dream Scholarship program to support six Roosevelt University freshmen.

Each of these scholars is the first in their family to attend college. All of them view the American Dream as an inherent promise of opportunity for their own personal goals and for the nation’s success. The following provides insights as to why each chose Roosevelt and what the American Dream means to them.

Kwesi Ayekumi

Heller College of Business, Accounting

Kwesi Ayekumi was born and raised in Chicago and attended Lake View High School on the North Side of the city. He came to Roosevelt to study accounting and participate on the cross country and track teams. “I have a passion to develop my mathematical skills to be the very best they can be … and eventually integrate my accounting and business knowledge,” he said. Roosevelt stood out to him because of “the welcoming atmosphere that allowed me to be myself and grow as a person.” Ayekumi describes the American Dream as “the success and happiness of one’s life. It could be a monetary value or volunteer work.” Ayekumi would like to fulfill his parents’ dream of building an orphanage that will “do more than just meet standards.”

Michael Germain

Chicago College of Performing Arts, Musical Theatre

Michael Germain, a resident of Cincinnati, is in the Musical Theatre program of the Chicago College of Performing Arts. “Musical theatre makes me happy and I never get tired of doing it,” he said. Germain came to Roosevelt because of the “amazing” reputation of the program and “for being a great training program for young performers.” His view of the American Dream is “working for what you want in life, putting in the time and effort and not taking the easy way out.”

Halie Reyes

College of Education, Elementary Education

Halie Reyes is from Des Plaines, Ill. and attended Maine West High School. Her goal is to be a teacher. “I was inspired by so many teachers in my life and I want to have the same influence,” she said. Roosevelt appealed to her because “it has a strong focus on social justice. It allows me to stay involved with service and have a healthy environment.” The American Dream for Reyes “is the drive to achieve more without folding due to obstacles.” She refuses to allow financial issues to be a barrier to her success. “I am motivated to keep moving forward,” she said.

Briana Reynolds

College of Arts and Sciences, Psychology

Briana Reynolds attended George Westinghouse College Prep in Chicago. She wants to study psychology because she is interested in helping other people. “I chose Roosevelt because I like its social justice mission especially with all the social justice issues going on in the world today,” she said. For Reynolds, “the American Dream means having freedom, equality and opportunities to achieve success in America.”

Alan Romero

Heller College of Business, Accounting

Alan Romero grew up in Bolingbrook, Ill. and attended Plainfield East High School. He chose Roosevelt University because of its location and the opportunity to play soccer. He will study Accounting because he “took an accounting class my senior year of high school and found it really interesting. Math has always been my favorite subject,” he said. Romero’s view of the American Dream has elements of personal responsibility: “The American Dream, to me, means to strive for success so I can give back to my family.”

Alexandra Ward

Evelyn T. Stone College of Professional Studies, Criminal Justice

Alexandra Ward is from Burbank, Ill. and attended Reavis High School. She chose Roosevelt because of its location and because she heard a lot of positive things about the quality of its education. She’d like to become a lawyer and will study Criminal Justice. “I love looking into the finer details of things and finding things no one else can spot,” she said. “I love arguing as well, which will really help in my journey to become a lawyer.” Education is central to Ward’s view of the American Dream. “The American Dream is getting an education and wanting to better yourself.”

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Feature 2, Feature Stories, Scholarship Spotlight, Spring 2016

Scholarship Spotlight: Vivian Rodriguez

vivian

In high school, Vivian Rodriguez was pretty sure she wanted to be an ultrasound technician.“I wanted to be able to tell the parents whether the baby was a boy or a girl!” However, when she heard that it was the doctor who generally shares this information with parents, she changed her mind. But, she knew that she wanted to be a health care practitioner and help people.

She started looking into allied health programs and decided that nuclear medicine technology was the field for her. She was fascinated by the ability of nuclear medicine to provide unique information about the structure and function of virtually every major organ system within the human body, setting it apart from other types of imaging. Today, as a Roosevelt University student, Vivian performs clinical hours at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, helping physicians characterize and quantify physiologic function at the molecular level by administering radioactive nuclides for disease diagnosis and, in some cases, therapy.

A few years ago when she and her family visited and toured Roosevelt’s Chicago Campus, she knew that this is where she wanted to be. And once her dad saw the Wabash Building and her reaction to the possibility of living and studying there, he made the decision that he would not deny her the opportunity to do so.

Rodriguez was an excellent student and talented athlete at Eisenhower High School in Blue Island, Ill.She was also an active participant in show choir, concert choir, band (she plays trumpet) and mathletes. And, she did all this while working part-time for her dad in his restaurant in Blue Island.

“I’m starting a career helping people in a profession that I love. I’m appreciative for all the help that has allowed me to achieve this goal.”
Vivian Rodriguez

When she arrived at Roosevelt, she worked as a student ambassador in the Office of Admission for her first three years. “Now as a senior, I work for the Athletics Department. With my clinical hours at the hospital, I needed evening hours,” she explained. She also has held multiple positions within her sorority, Alpha Gamma Delta. She played on the Roosevelt women’s tennis team as a sophomore and was the team captain last year.

When asked about professors who have influenced her, she instantly smiled and said: “Dr. (Cornelius) Watson and Dr. (Norbert) Cordeiro.” “Dr. Watson was the faculty member who made me want to attend Roosevelt,” she said. Watson returned the compliment, saying that Rodriguez “is a bright, conscientious and personable student who has a promising future in the health sciences.”

“Vivian is a student who has an intense curiosity for the sciences,” said Cordeiro, who impressed Rodriguez by bringing artifacts from the Field Museum for students to study in class. “Despite being heavily involved in athletics as well as a plethora of other activities, what I found exciting about Vivian is how she strove to maintain academics as her central focus — I think we all know that this is not an easy task.”

One of the things that Rodriguez has enjoyed most while studying at Roosevelt is the diversity of the student body. “I love getting to know people from all over the country.” In her studies at Northwestern Memorial, she has enjoyed learning about all of the rare diseases that are diagnosed using her discipline.

When she graduates, she hopes to find a job at a Chicago area hospital with Northwestern Memorial and Central DuPage being her top choices. She’s grateful for everyone at Roosevelt who has supported her during the last four years, especially Trustee Gerald Fogelson, who funded her scholarship. “I’m starting a career helping people in a profession that I love. I’m appreciative for all the help that has allowed me to achieve this goal,” she said.

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