It’s always meaningful when businesses and organizations come together to help make students’ dreams a reality. On Tuesday, September 26, Urban League of Northwest Indiana held another wonderful scholarship fair at Indiana University (IU) Northwest. Students throughout the Region spent the day engaging with university representatives learning more about the college experience while receiving a plethora of scholarships to help them reach their educational goals.
“This is the best scholarship fair in the state. We already have 700 students who have entered this building, and we have hundreds more on the way. We have high school seniors here from all over Lake, Porter, and La Porte Counties. There are parents here who took the day off of work to be here with their children. This is the place to be if students are looking to further their education,” said Dr. Vanessa Allen-McCloud, president of Urban League of Northwest Indiana.
Urban League’s scholarship fair is truly no ordinary event. This year was the second year Urban League has held the event at IU Northwest. Not only did students get to interact with different colleges, they also got to experience firsthand what a college campus is like. IU Northwest representatives even took the students on campus tours so they could get a better idea of what to expect.
“We’re just so thankful to IU Northwest and the chancellor for hosting us. It’s wonderful that we get to hold this event here – some kids have never set foot on a college campus so it’s great that they get to come here and be a part of such an awesome experience,” said Allen-McCloud.
Over 60 university, Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), and trade representatives came out to participate in this year’s fair. Many of the folks who came out have been supporting the scholarship fair for years. The community never fails to rally behind young students.
“We never miss this scholarship fair – we’ve taken part in it since its inception. We never miss the opportunity to tell students about scholarships that are available to them both nationally and internationally. We want to be that wealth of information for students so they can get the scholarships they need to go where they would like to go,” said Charius Anderson, executive director of the Gary Educational Development Foundation.
For other representatives, it was their first time participating. Jodi Aurand, program director of Girls on the Run Northwest Indiana, came to offer opportunities for growth as well as scholarship.
“Our lessons empower the next generation of women to be their authentic selves, to stand up for themselves and others, and to learn about things like empathy and conflict resolution and how to be a part of a team. I’m excited to get the word out and to get more young girls involved. These young women can learn so much from coach training,” said Aurand.
All day long, the high school students sat down with pen and paper applying to colleges and learning about different opportunities available to them. Many kids were accepted right on the spot, and even more kids earned thousands of dollars in scholarships. Each time a student earned a scholarship, they got to ring a bell to let everyone know. There wasn’t a single moment throughout the fair that everyone couldn’t hear that bell ring.
The event was ultimately a great way to show students that college doesn’t have to be out of reach. IU Northwest Chancellor Ken Iwama shared his hopes that each student walked away feeling positive about the future and one step closer to their dreams.
“I want the students to know and feel that higher education is attainable. We really just want to open up the minds of students who may be on the fence about whether college is right for them and show them that they can be successful. Every year at commencement, we have students who had questioned going to college running across the stage ready to celebrate and move on to their careers,” said Iwama.
As students milled around with scholarships in hand and smiles on their faces, it became clear that scholarship fairs like Urban League’s are invaluable. Scholarship fairs are not just about giving away money – they’re about making dreams come true. Everyone involved in this year’s fair can’t wait to continue changing countless lives in the future.
“Our collaboration with Dr. Allen-McCloud and Urban League is like no other. This is what we talk about when we talk about universities being anchored institutions and working with community leaders. All the hopes, dreams, and excitement we see on these students’ faces here today are the result of people working together. We hope to continue this forever,” said Iwama.
To learn more about Urban League of Northwest Indiana, visit urbanleagueofnwi.org.
