The UIC Women’s Leadership and Resource Center offers financial awards toward tuition* for undergraduate study at UIC.  The goal of this award is to support women students in their educational pursuits who have a great deal of financial need that is not being met by financial aid or loans.

We especially encourage applications from women who are members of marginalized groups, e.g., lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women; women of color; women with disabilities; undocumented students; veterans; and students returning to college to complete their education.

Students must meet the following qualifications:

• Must be a full time undergraduate degree-seeking student who meets the requirements of UIC’s SAP policy.
• Must not have completed their degree requirements for graduation or already have earned a bachelor’s degree. Applicants must be continuing UIC undergraduate students who have attended UIC for at least one semester.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and must qualify for Illinois resident tuition.
• Must complete the FAFSA and have financial need as determined by the FAFSA.

* This award can only be applied toward tuition costs, excluding fees. For out-of-state students, the maximum tuition award will only cover the amount equivalent to in-state tuition.  The student will be responsible for the remaining balance.

The application for the 2022-2023 academic year is now closed. Please check back in Fall 2023.

Maijalyne Caffey

“I am honored to be a recipient of the WLRC Tuition Award. Since being here at UIC, I have appreciated everything I have learned and been a part of. I’ve learned more about a sense of community and my own identity through being a Black woman. This award will help me continue my education and studies in marketing; there’s so much more for me to learn and experience here at UIC. Thank you again to Dr. Natalie Bennett and the Women’s Leadership and Resource Center for selecting me.”

Jennifer Corona

“I want to thank the Women’s Leadership and Resource Center for awarding me the WLRC Tuition Award. It means a lot to me to receive this award as someone who lost their parents at a young age. Pursuing higher education seemed far to achieve as it was an economic concern of mine. Fortunately, this award allows me to further my education without financial strain. I cannot express my ultimate gratitude to the WLRC for supporting and advocating for marginalized women and individuals like myself to pursue our dreams.”

Nazaret Gutierrez

“This scholarship means so much to me because I’m a step closer to becoming a guidance counselor. I want to help kids like me, in communities I grew up in, and help families that are just like mine! Being a first-generation college student is not easy and I appreciate the WLRC for giving me the opportunity!”

Lisa King

“I’m extremely grateful to be one of the recipients for the scholarship offered by the Women’s Leadership and Resource Center. I feel tremendously privileged to be recognized for the small moments of effort I’ve tried to put out into the world to make it a better place for women. Although my contribution may be light right now, this will help me to cover tuition costs and soon graduate so I can strive to do bigger and better things for women worldwide. Thank you WLRC for this reward and I’ll make sure to make it worth it!”

Sydnee Overton

“Receiving this scholarship is a great honor to me as well as the community who encouraged me to pursue my education—this means a great deal to all of us. Moreover, the last couple of years I’ve been enrolled at UIC have granted me the ability to explore the multi-faceted and diverse aspects of myself while also allowing me to grow in the other areas of my identity I was previously unaware of. This scholarship has given me the opportunity to further pursue avenues that are going to help me evolve into the distinguished leader, student, and woman that I am aspiring/meant to be. Having less of a financial burden and insecurity as a result of this award has already done wonders for my confidence in addition to my overall well-being. It is with much gratitude that I accept this scholarship and continue to explore the possibilities that this institution has to offer me, while also striving to make it an even more inclusive and representative space for the future generations to come. I would like to formally thank the Women’s Leadership and Resource Center for offering me, and female students alike, a chance as wonderful as this to assist us with our academic endeavors. I am incredibly fortunate to be receiving this resource and I am very eager to continue to be the change here at UIC.”

Karlie Sanchez

“I am so thankful for this scholarship! I spent a lot of time this semester worrying how I was going to pay my tuition for the semester, as I did not receive as much financial support this year. Having this award means I will be able to focus more on my mental health and my school priorities. Being stressed about my tuition really took a toll on me, to the point where I was not prioritizing the things that I should have been prioritizing. I prayed out my worries to God, and he definitely heard me! Overall, I am so thankful for the resources we are provided!”

Charlotte Wagner

“Thank you to the Women’s Leadership and Resource Center for helping me as I work towards my educational goals at UIC. This year has been particularly worrisome financially, so I am so grateful to have been given this scholarship and opportunity. This scholarship, to me, means less time staying up late doing tuition calculations and extra hours at work and more time devoted to research, study, and conversation—the things I love! I owe so much to the professors, friends, and allies I’ve met here, and I feel very at home on this campus. My years as a student at UIC have given me a sense of belonging and purpose I can never be grateful enough for. Thank you again to the WLRC, and may we all continue to learn and grow together!”

Hannah K. Wendt

“I’m a transfer, as well as a first-generation, student who is seeking to find what I can do to better our community through academics. With my current education, I have struggled to find the proper starting point and direction to take, causing me to switch majors multiple times. However, finding UIC and its great opportunities has given me the foundation I needed. This is firmly attributed to the fantastic staff and students I am surrounded with every day. This award allows me to continue to study and learn with this great group of people and aspire to change our world for the better.”

Ela Wojtasik

“I would like to thank UIC’s Women’s Leadership and Resource Center (WLRC) for the opportunity to receive the tuition award. As I am approaching my graduation, this award will help relieve my financial concerns as well as help me apply to graduate programs. As an immigrant, my goal is to become the first person in my family to attain either a master’s or doctorate degree. One of the reasons why I love UIC is because of programs such as WLRC that not only promote gender equity, but also acknowledge diversity. It means a lot to me that my ambitions were recognized and I am able to continue my studies. I am extremely determined to attain my bachelor of science in kinesiology this upcoming spring and work towards my goal of promoting female leadership in the fitness industry. Thank you once again to this amazing organization that advocates for women in higher education. As a recipient of this award, I will work hard to ensure that its mission holds true!”

Jane An
Biological Sciences

“I would like to thank the Women’s Leadership & Resource Center (WLRC) for furthering the opportunity to continue my education at UIC as a Biological Sciences major and Public Health minor. As someone who has not received much government assistance to fund my education in the past, I feel extremely fortunate that WLRC is working to promote awareness and recognize the needs of women with diverse backgrounds. I can now say that I will be able to focus solely on my education for the remainder of the semester without financial strain for me or my parents. I will continue to work towards my higher education and personify the mission of WLRC!”

Zoe Bridges
Disability and Human Development

“I am honored to be a recipient of the UIC WLRC Tuition Award for the Fall 2021 semester. Over the past 2 years, I’ve learned so much about myself as a student, disability advocate and my identity as a black woman. I’ve found new passions through my interdisciplinary education and strive to learn more from the amazing faculty in my undergraduate program. Being a student during the pandemic challenged me in ways I never would’ve thought. But, through perseverance and determination, I found an unwavering strength and power within myself. Being a leader has always been a trait of mine that I hold dear because I want to inspire young BIPOC students to be vocal about the issues that matter most to them. I’m happy to be one of many ambitious, like-minded undergraduates receiving this award because it is validating to see my hard work pay off. Thank you Dr. Natalie Bennett and the Women’s Leadership and Resource Center for selecting me.”

Neshunda Cannon
Applied Health Sciences

“I am so excited grateful and thankful for this award. I have had an unforgettable experience at UIC, and this award will make a big difference in my life and continuous studies. This award will help me to continue my dream and add in me furthering my education to graduate school. This scholarship will open opportunities that I could not have afforded otherwise. It is an amazing feeling to have been fortunate enough to be consider for this award. It has done so much for me and words cannot express my gratitude.”

Olivia Meisenbach
Public Health

“Being award this tuition award truly means the world to me. As a first-generation student coming from a single parent household income, college seemed extremely farfetched for me. I am so incredibly grateful for this tuition award because it helped uplift some anxiety of mine on my future tuition payments. I am paying my tuition by myself and student loans, so having this opportunity helps me see clearer for my future after graduation. This tuition award from the Women’s Leadership and Resource Center has built my confidence in my schoolwork, my career path, and my finances for my university.”

Taahira Muhammad
Biological Sciences

“I am extremely grateful for the support of UIC WLRC and CAN as I’ve been completing my degree the last two years whether it be with the tuition assistance award, assistance with finding resources or invitations to participate in various programs groups held by WLRC and CAN. This award means I can finish the last year of my undergraduate studies focused primarily on my course load! My time at UIC has had highs and lows and it’s been filled with lessons and blessings, but it’s been incredibly rewarding to pursue this degree to become a future veterinarian. I’m excited to graduate in the spring 2022, to close out this chapter of my education at UIC, and be on my way to veterinary school!”

Erica Olavarria
Biomedical Engineering

“I am so incredibly grateful to be awarded the Women’s Leadership and Resource Center (WLRC) Tuition Award for the 2021-2022 academic year! As a first-generation college student, I’ve always had to pay my tuition costs independently, and as a result I often found myself struggling to find a balance between my education and working long hours to afford it. I am expected to graduate this Spring of 2022 with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, and thanks to the WLRC, the fear of not being able to afford my final year of study has been alleviated. Furthermore, receiving this generous award shows me that it is possible to come from a disadvantaged background and still obtain a college degree, even when it feels like all of the odds are against you.

Thank you, WLRC, for being an advocate for women in their educational pursuits. I can’t wait to see what my future holds!”

Paola Castro

“Thank you for selecting me as one of the students to receive this award. What this tuition award means to me is an opportunity to have a peace of mind from this semester’s financial toll. It also represents faith that sometimes even adversities that set me apart as a woman can be used to overcome other obstacles in life. I am greatly appreciative to UIC and the Women’s Leadership & Resource Center.”

Farreh Qatanani

“As a daughter of parents who immigrated to this country, I have always struggled with my identity within a marginalized community, in addition to being a woman. The Women’s Leadership Resource Center (WLRC) Tuition Award is an honor, as it allows me to continue to pursue my goal of becoming a physician and conduct research without the additional stress of funding my educational goals. Currently I am working as an Emergency Medical Technician, conducting research on cells infected with herpes simplex virus (HSV), and tutoring students enrolled in introductory and general chemistry at UIC. My long-term goals include studying the social determinants of health and how they specifically affect marginalized groups, as well as providing care for underserved populations as a physician. I am very grateful for this generous WLRC award and aspire to continue to embody its legacy!”

Tatiana Carbajal
Junior, Electrical Engineering and Entrepreneurship

Danielle Cortes
Senior, Gender and Women’s Studies

Erica Olavarria
Junior, Biomedical Engineering

Jennifer Corona
Sophomore, Psychology and Latin American and Latino Studies

Montserrat Pereyra
Junior, Psychology and Biology

Helen Abera
Senior, Sociology

Gurleen Kaur
Junior, Computer Science with Mathematics Minor

Emoonah McClerklin
Senior, Psychology and Sociology

Jeyra Rivera-Arocha
Junior, Mechanical Engineering

Makiz Salehzai
Sophomore, Teaching of English with Psychology Minor

Rashida Thompson
Sophomore, Biological Sciences

Catherine Williams
Junior, Civil Engineering