Thanks to a new agreement between the two colleges, one Waubonsee Community College Honors Program participant will receive a full tuition scholarship to Elmhurst College each year.
The inaugural recipient is Lorena Gonzalez, a first-generation college student and a first-generation American citizen. Gonzalez said she plans to pursue a degree in actuary science at Elmhurst.
While at Waubonsee, she was involved in multiple honor societies, thanks to her perfect 4.0 GPA. Gonzalez said her childhood struggles to learn the English language served as a motivating factor in her academic career. She began to push herself to not only get by in her classes, but to prove herself through her accomplishments.
To qualify for the scholarship, an applicant has to complete the Honors Program at Waubonsee by earning a minimum of 15 honors credit hours while maintaining a GPA of 3.5 or higher and has to be admitted to Elmhurst College.
The Honors Program at Waubonsee admits students who were in the top 10 percent of their high school class or who have an ACT composite score of 27 or higher. Students with existing college credit must have a minimum of 12 transfer-level hours with a minimum GPA of 3.5.
