Meet Our Scholars

“That was a moment for me. I couldn’t believe that my story mattered.”

Cherry Scholars come from all walks of life. Some are recent graduates and others have put their dreams of a college education on hold for a few years.

They have four characteristics in common:

They are graduates of Evanston Township High School.
They are determined to pursue college degrees that will lead to careers in education and youth work.
They are late bloomers, many of them faced with life challenges.
They are asking for a helping hand from the community they hope to serve.

Watch our inspiring Scholar video:

Our Scholars

2025

Jeanine Bahanuzi
Natashs Bentley
James Bowen
Destini Brown
Jaheim Cochrane
Milagros Curtis
Selene Belen Curtis
Ava Nicole Daye
Kayjah Aneila Etyem
Karamot Fatai
Celeste Brittany Gaytan-Cabrera
Melisa Gonzalez
Myah Green
Shilae Hudson
Joshua Irving
Latalee Lawrence
Leila Gwendolyn Lemieux-Jordan
Kevin Allen Louis-Charles
Kaia Magno
Maxine Milagros Mazanett
Taishiya Nix
Jacob Rohde
Britza B Ruiz
Shackeena Sands
Cynja Valcin
Sianna Waters

Universities

Our Scholars have gone to a wide variety of colleges and universities. Here is a list of some of the places they’ve attended:

Ball State University
Beloit College
Bethany College
Bradley University
Charleston Southern University
Clemson University
Concordia University
DePaul University
George Mason University
Hampton University
Illinois State University
Illinois Wesleyan University
Lake Forest College
Northeastern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University
Oakton Community College
Southern Illinois University
Spelman College
Trine University
University of Illinois
Western Illinois University
Wilbur Wright College