Scholarship Stories
Renee Fietsam
My name is Renee Fietsam and I am a senior majoring in Mathematics with Teacher Certification. I have been fortunate to receive several scholarship while at EIU, including the Livingston C. Lord scholarship and the Edson H. Taylor Memorial scholarship. These scholarships made college affordable, and I was able to focus on my studies without being overwhelmed by finances. I would like to express my sincere thanks for all the people who made it possible for me and others to receive these scholarships; this includes not only those who donated funds, but also those on selection committees and others who work with the paperwork and distribution of scholarships.
Konahr Shirley
Margaret Xenakis
My name is Margaret Xenakis and I am currently a senior who will be graduating this May. I am a Communication Disorders and Sciences major with a minor in Spanish. I will be attending Graduate School here for Communication Disorders and Sciences starting this summer. A summary of the major scholarships I have won are the Livingston C. Lord Scholarship, the Phi Alpha Eta scholarship, College of Sciences Dean's List from 2008 to present and this year, I was recognized as one of 25 Distinguished Senior Awards. Education has always been very important to me and I am truly honored to have received recognition with various scholarships. Scholarships, in a way, helped me set goals to work for and I have balanced a rigorous curriculum with various extracurricular activities.
Scholarships are also a reminder to strive to do your best. They are a privilege and I have established relationships with faculty/mentors that helped me become nominated for some of these honors. My father was an alumni of Eastern Illinois University and a former speech language pathologist, which has motivated me to achieve and succeed in my academics and professional career. Scholarships are reinforcing to me that the time and effort I have put throughout my college career was recognized.
Tionna Alderson
Nicholas Canady
My name is Nicholas Canady, and I am a senior English major seeking teacher certification. I hope to one day teach junior high English. Since I have been at Eastern, I have received numerous academic and organizational awards from the thoughtful and generous scholarship committees on campus. My proudest achievement is winning the Livingston C. Lord Scholarship during my junior year after being nominated by the English Department. Other academic awards I have won are the Genelle V. Jackson Award for English, the Mary Coon Cottingham Award for English, the Hobart Heller Scholarship, and the Isabel McKinney Undergraduate Scholarship. Because of my involvement on campus as a resident assistant for Thomas Hall and a member of the service organization EIU Pride, I have also won the Brad Wright Memorial Scholarship and the Dr. Weber Minority Affairs Scholarship. This past semester, I also received the Warner Presidential Scholarship for English.
While I have striven to achieve as much as possible in my academics and social contributions to the Eastern community, I recognize that I would not have been able to stay in school without the generosity of the English Department, Minority Affairs, and the Housing and Dining Department. I am currently not in contact with my parents because of personal issues, so I alone have been responsible for funding my education. In short, without the assistance of the scholarships I have received at Eastern, I would have been forced to drop out after my freshman year. Fortunately, the Eastern community that I have come to know is extremely generous and appreciative of student achievement and contributions, and my hard work has certainly paid off. I am grateful to live, work, and learn in such a caring, goal-oriented environment and am confident that, because of EIU, I will realize my dream of becoming a teacher.
