Our 2025 Scholarship Winners

Deborah, daughter of Marina, is a senior at Ignite Christian Academy.  

She plans to attend College of DuPage, then transfer to Arizona State University to study Business Communications.  She hopes to become a  director of a company or non-profit organization.  

 Deborah is the founder of Letters with Life. She connected with schools to host letter drives and delivered several sets of 100 thoughtful letters and cards to the Naperville Senior Center.   Deborah cooks and bakes alongside women in crisis at My Half of the Sky kitchen. Her time volunteering here has been very meaningful to her and pushed her to do even more for her community.  Deborah helped develop programs at SeaGlass Literacy, including the Rising Voices Award, a global writing competition with a focus on the anti-bullying movement that reached over 1,000 youth.  She also developed and led a tutoring program at the Wheaton Library for students who struggle with writing.  Deborah also serves as a student representative on the Naper Settlement Museum Board. 

Elizabeth (Lizzy) is the daughter of Ben and Judy Hall .  She is a senior at Neuqua Valley High School and plans to attend the University of Minnesota to pursue a degree in Nursing. Her career goal is to be a nurse in the NICU or Emergency Room.

Lizzy volunteers at “Ready Set Ride”, an organization that helps kids with disabilities ride horses, where she is in charge of one child riding a horse during each session.  She is a member of the Peer Partners PE class at Neuqua Valley HS, being selected to provide mentorship and support to the Special Education community during Adaptive PE.  Lizzy has helped at Vacation Bible School where she strives to be a good role model.  She has been on two week-long mission trips through St. Raphael Church where she has helped the elderly, disabled, and those in poverty.   Lizzy volunteers at Hesed House every other month which has  has helped her "commit more to helping others and has shown me how meaningful community service like this is for myself and for the people that I am serving.”