CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) –
Twelve and a half million dollars is going to graduating seniors from a Chicago high school.
It’s not one of the top selective enrollment high schools, but one that’s open to everyone, and a third of the seniors have earned scholarships.
Kyndale Buchanan was offered scholarships from four universities, but she accepted one given to her from Howard University.
They gave Buchanan 90,000 reasons to take it.
“I was shocked! I wasn’t expecting to get all that money. I felt really special especially with all the other competitive scholars. It’s a big honor,” Buchanan said.
Ninety-two of the 346 other seniors at Kenwood Academy received partial or full ride scholarships, totaling just over 12.5 million dollars.
“It just says that we all take school seriously and we know that an education is really going to take us the long way,” said senior Hunter Johnson.
Most of the students build up strong grade point averages while at Kendall. However, Kendall works hard to make sure all students have a shot at scholarships. One recipient, for example, had a 2.0 and got a 16 on the ACT.
Kenwood’s college and career coach says it’s her full time job to help seniors get scholarships.
“Once you have a sense of who the kid is, and where they will do well, you try to match them at places where you think they will flourish,” Kenwood Academy’s Lindsey Hunter.
Kenwood Academy is a neighborhood school on Chicago’s south side, it’s not selective enrollment like, Walter Payton, North Side Prep or Whitney Young, and the scholarship dollars going to the class of 2014 tops Chicago’s top notch schools.
“We’re different from other CPS students because at Kenwood we have a whole staff and lab dedicated to seniors to do their applications and get scholarships,” Senior Hideaki Nomura said.
Which helps take some of the sting out of what can be a very intimidating process.