At age 15, college wasn’t an option for William Méndez when his family was undergoing financial instability.

The house he was living in was in foreclosure, utility bills weren’t being paid and his parents were going through a divorce.

But that all changed when an educator referred him to the Illinois Education Foundation (IEF), a scholarly program that helps low-income students enroll at a community college, provides students with support services such as mentoring, academic advising and financial aid.

Something that didn’t seem attainable became a reality for the 18-year-old Little Village native that is now majoring in business at Harold Washington College with financial assistance by IEF.

“Now I can look forward to better days,” Méndez said. “Back then, I didn’t want to look ahead in the future because I didn’t have [one].”

The competitive program received approximately 800 applications for the 2010 to 2011 academic year and only 31 were accepted. Next year, the program will be accepting 100 students for its 2011 to 2012 academic year.

“[Students] need to put themselves out there,” said Méndez when asked what advice he has for students when applying to IEF. “They need to apply themselves and be proactive.”

That is something that Karina Aranda, another IEF scholar, did.

“Money doesn’t come knocking to your door,” said Aranda, 18, and a nursing major at Malcolm X College “Students have to apply for scholarships and look for ways to pay for school.”
Aranda’s older sibling was already in college and soon realized that her parents couldn’t afford to support two in college. She began to research scholarships online and came across IEF and the financial resources it offers to students.

“This is about creating a community of ...