These four Kaneland seniors earned over $600,000 in academic scholarships between them. Here’s how they did it:

TAYLOR ANDREWS

Senior Taylor Andrews chose the college he’ll be attending next fall for reasons most don’t: the history, the challenge and the leadership position.

Andrews will be attending the West Point Military Academy in the fall on a full scholarship that covers tuition, room, board and fees.

“While I was looking for colleges, I was looking at the service academies mainly because of the benefits that followed, but as I got to researching, I found that it wasn’t all about the benefits. It was something deeper: the legacy that follows and all the history behind it. I also want to challenge myself and my leadership abilities. What better way to do that than as a US Army officer?” Andrews said.

West Point has an acceptance rate of just 15 percent, which makes acceptance there as competitive as at many Ivy League universities.  Candidates must be academically, physically and medically qualified and must receive a nomination from an approved source, such as a member of Congress.

“I think [Taylor’s] academics were above average, his athletics were above average and so was his interview. He also had glowing recommendations. It is very difficult to get into West Point; it’s a huge achievement,” counselor Cynthia Violett said.

Andrews has not yet selected a major, since West Point cadets don’t choose a major until the second semester of their sophomore year. He has an eight-year commitment after schooling, which includes five years of active duty in the Army and three years on reserve. He will become an Army second lieutenant after graduation, with a starting salary of $69,000.

“I feel that this is the best thing for Taylor, but I will miss him a lot because we’re so close to each other. We’re like best friends,”  sophomore Tanner Andrews, Taylor’s brother, said.
–Emily Gulanczyk, reporter

JESSICA CORBETT

It’s what all high school students strive for: receiving a full-ride scholarship to a dream college. Many students work hard to meet this ultimate goal—but ordinarily, it never progresses past a tedious application process. What happens when things take a turn for the extraordinary?

Senior Jess Corbett received a full-ride scholarship, worth $51,000 a year, to Ithaca College in New York. Corbett received a phone call from Dr. Matt Fee informing Jess that she was a finalist for the scholarship. There were 26 finalists total and only 13 scholarships given out.

“I later found out that there were over 500 applicants,” Corbett said.

Corbett, who has worked on the Krier for four years, including two years as an editor, is an exceptional journalism student, journalism teacher Cheryl Borrowdale said.

“She has developed a lot of poise in interviewing and thinks critically enough to ask tough questions,” Borrowdale said. “She has also developed into an excellent writer, capable of taking on in-depth pieces and difficult subjects. She knows every part of producing a paper inside out, and beyond those journalistic skills, she is an outstanding student with a strong work ethic. In every way, she was the perfect candidate for a journalism scholarship.”

On March 30, Corbett found out that she was one of the lucky 13 who had received the full ride scholarship.

“I was really excited for Jess because she deserved it. Then it finally hit me that she was going to be leaving,” freshman Taylor Corbett said.

Although her family was ecstatic, Corbett could not actually share the news with friends and other relatives for several days, until all candidates were contacted about the scholarship.
Corbett will double major in journalism and politics at Ithaca, where she is also a member of the honors program.

“They have all of the opportunities that I wanted, such as dance groups, model UN, and a lot of different volunteer opportunities,” Corbett said.
–Amanda Schiff, editor

ABBY MICHELS

With a huge smile on her face, senior Abby Michels gave her mom a hug after finding that she received the Golden Apple Scholarship.

The Golden Apple, a scholarship awarded to 110 education majors in Illinois, is designed to provide scholarship funds for bright future educators. In addition to the $2,500 in financial assistance for the first two years of college, and the $5,000 for the final two years,

“[It’s] the perfect scholarship for a perfect student,” Michelle Jurcenko, Spanish teacher said.

Michels has been interested in being a teacher since elementary school.

“I like helping other people. The one way to stay young internally is to be surrounded by kids,” Michels said.

Michels, who is a senior this year, will be attending the Lewis University next fall. Lewis has supplemented her Golden Apple Scholarship with a scholarship of its own—and Michels will attend there on a full-ride scholarship worth $33,000 a year.

Golden Apple Scholars enter the classroom with three times the experience that graduates of traditional education programs do. The program watches students for seven years and provides training over the summer.

“Scholars are surrounded by professionals and mentors. They’re like a big happy family. They also work in poor districts that are economically challenged, and they are committed to work in [a high-needs] district,” Counselor Andrew Franklin said.

Michels, who is majoring in special education, was a good candidate for the Golden Apple because she has done so much, from early childhood occupation classes, to P.E. Leadership classes, Franklin said.

“It’s a huge blessing. I am so excited. It will open more doors for me to become a better teacher,” Michels said.
–Emily Ferrell, reporter

HANNAH SCHUPPNER

Senior Hannah Schuppner has been awarded a Northwestern University Scholarship. The scholarship is worth around $30,000 per year, and she has also been awarded grants to pay for the remaining tuition and room and board, including $2,000 in work study and private grants from the school. Her estimated family contribution is only $5,000 per year.

“The scholarship made it possible to go to my dream school. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to go there,” Schuppner said.

Northwestern was her first choice, over DePaul University or the University of Chicago. She plans to study psychology and then possibly go to law school.

“It’s not the number one psychology school, but it’s ranked highly in the nation,” Schuppner said.

“I’m happy that she’s going to stay in Illinois, so she’ll be relatively close,” Kaleb Schuppner, Hannah’s brother, said. “I was very excited for her, but I was not surprised at all.  She is a very excellent student and works very hard.”

Patricia Welker, AP Literature teacher, said she is certain that Schuppner will be very successful because of her great analytical skills and critical thinking skills.

According to both Schuppners, their father was extremely excited at the news that Hannah would have the money to go to a good school.

“Northwestern has always been my dream school,” Schuppner said. “After I visited the campus, I just fell in love with it. It just felt right.”