Past Scholarship Winners

To date, scholarship winners have received in excess of $51,000 from the Illini Club of San Diego County.

In 1989 our club began its tradition of scholarships by honoring the student who portrayed Chief Illiniwek each year.  In 2004 we expanded the scope of our program by requesting scholarship applications from San Diego County students attending the University of Illinois.  As of 2014, our Club had made 55 scholarship awards, totaling more than $55,000.

When our Club's scholarship program began, 1/3 of our scholarship funds were provided by the U of I Alumni Association via the University of Illinois Foundatation (UIF).  Beginning in 2009, due to budget restrictions the U of I Alumni Association continued to assist in the adminstration of the scholarship process, but the Club took on the responsibility for the entire cost of the local scholarships. 

In case you are wondering where our scholarship funds come from, they come from you.  First, it is your tax deductible donations to the scholarship fund that make these scholarships possible.  Second, it is through your participation in select club events, or through the purchase of some items on our website.  Keep in mind, our Club no longer charges membership dues, so a making a voluntary contribution to our scholarship fund is a worthwhile option for you to support our Club.     

Our Scholarship Committee is headed by Dr. Glen Broom and is comprised of a distinguished and dedicated cross section of local Illini: Ms. Barbara Blase, Ms. Sue Dohren, Ms. Beth O’Rahilly, Mr. Gunnar Schalin, Mr. Bob VanWassenhove, Dr. Denruth Lougeay, and Dr. Jim Smith.  Each year their service to our Club allows us to reach our scholarship objectives.  When you see any of them at Club events or when you speak with them, please give them a word of encouragement and thank them for their service.  Their work this year resulted in scholarship awards to three fine students.

Awardee Name 

Class

   Major 

   City 

Christopher Ackerman Freshman     Urban Planning    Chula Vista

Robert Francis

Sophomore    Aerospace Engineering    Carmel Valley
William S. Noh Sophomore    Aerospace Engineering     Rancho Bernardo
   

Christopher Ackerman

 

  William S. Noh

 

Robert Francis

Here are a few ways that you can help our club continue its tradition in scholarship program excellence and ensure that next year's students will have an opportunity to compete for one of our Club's scholarships:

1. Volunteer to participate on the Scholarship Committee.  Most of its work is accomplished in June of each year.  If interested contact Dr. Glen Broom, our scholarship chair.

2. Recommend a local student to apply to the U of I.  After admittance, suggest that they apply for one of our scholarships.

3. Make an investment in a student's future by making a tax deductible contribution to our Club's scholarship fund today.

4. Participate in select Club events and make purchases the Club website. 

Previous Scholarship Winners

First Award Awards First Name Last Name City Recognized for/Major

1989

1*

 Tom Livingston  

  Chief Illiniwek

1990

1*

 Kurt Gruben  

  Chief Illiniwek

1991

1*

 Kurt Gruben  

  Chief Illiniwek

1992

1*

 Steve Raquel  

  Chief Illiniwek

1993

1*

 Jeff Beckham  

  Chief Illiniwek

1994

1*

 John Creech  

  Chief Illiniwek

1995

0

        

1996

2*

  Scott C.  Brakenridge  Western Springs, IL  60558   Chief Illiniwek

1998

3*

  John T.  Madigan  Champaign, IL  61820   Chief Illiniwek

2001

3*

  Matthew  Veronie  South Holland, IL  60473   Chief Illiniwek

2004

2*

  Kyle  Cline  Decatur, IL  62521   Chief Illiniwek

2004

4*

  W. Stuart  Warren  Chula Vista, CA  91915  Computer Engineering

2005

1*

  Angela Y.  Lee  San Diego, CA  92130  Graphic Design

2006

2*

  Qinghan (Gina)  Fu  San Diego, CA  92129  Computer Science

2006

2*

  Graham  Haworth  La Jolla, CA  92037  Mechanical Engineering

2006

2*

  Melissa  Horning  Poway, CA  92064  Systems Engineering

2006

1*

  Daniel  Maloney  Galesburg, IL  61401   Chief Illiniwek

2006

3*

  Lauren  Waidelich  San Diego, CA  92128  Music Performance

2008

3*

  Jae Eun (Jenny)  Shin  San Diego, CA  92128  Music Performance

2009

1

  Shrivastava  Tanay  San Diego, CA  92127  Aerospace Engineering

2009

1

  Na  Yeon  Chula Vista, CA 91914

 Community Health

2010

2

  Chelsea  McKinnis  San Diego, CA  92131  Speech & Hearing

2010

3 

  William  Ross  San Diego, CA  92130

 Electrical Engineering

2011

4

  Evan  Richards  Ramona, CA 92065

 Electrical Engineering

2012

1

  Mo  Alison  San Diego, CA 92131  Marketing

2013

 2 

  Shaymus  Alwan  Ramona, CA 92065  Computer Engineering

2013

1

  Promit  Dey  San Diego, CA 92130

 Electrical Engineering

2014

1

  Marco  Nunez  San Diego, CA  Engineering Mechanics

2014

1

  Bradley  Van Winkle  Carlsbad, CA  Computer Engineering
2015 1  Allyn  Meyer  La Jolla, CA  Veterinary Medicine
2015 1  William  Noh  Rancho Bernardo, CA  Aerospace Engineering
2015 1  Jamie  Padilla  Bonita, CA  Electrical and Computer Engineering
2016 1  Christopher  Ackerman  Chula Vista, CA  Urban Planning
2016 1  Robert  Francis  Carmel Valley, CA  Aerospace Engineering
2016 2  William  Noh  Rancho Bernardo, CA  Aerospace Engineering

Scholarships are made possible by generous donations from Players Sports Bar in San Diego and members of the Illini Club of San Diego County. The University of Illinois Alumni Association provided approximately 1/3 of the funds where indicated by an asterisk (*).