Scholarships for Students

kskoirchet
2 hours ago
2 min read

One of the most direct ways we can put our values into action is by investing in the students sitting in our classrooms right now. That's exactly what our scholarship programs exist to do, and we need your help to make sure students know about them before the April 26 deadline.

The Norman G. Swenson Scholarship awards up to 14 students $1,700 each, one from each of the seven City Colleges of Chicago and one from each of the seven suburban colleges. It's open to full-time students who have completed at least 24 credit hours with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Norm Swenson spent 40 years building this union, was jailed twice fighting for our contracts, and led 17 strikes so we could have the working conditions we have today. Since the 1990s, this program has raised over $500,000 and helped hundreds of students. Encouraging a student to apply is one of the most meaningful ways we can honor that legacy.

The Union Activism Scholarship awards $1,700 to students who have been active in causes like social justice, public education, immigrant rights, environmentalism, or democracy, through organizing, writing, marching, or other forms of civic engagement. If you have a student whose work outside the classroom has been as impressive as their work inside it, this scholarship was made for them.

Both scholarships are worth $1,700 and require students to have completed at least 24 credit hours. Applications must be emailed to Don Radtke at dradtke2133@gmail.com by April 26, 2026.

We're educators because we believe in what learning can do for people. That doesn't stop at the classroom door. When we connect students to opportunities like these, we extend that belief into something real and tangible for them. Please take a few minutes today to mention these scholarships to students you think would qualify, a quick word from a professor or staff member can be the nudge a student needs to actually apply.

Applications are below. Share them widely.

Thank you for everything you do for our students and our union.