Thirteen recipients were selected from among 37 eligible applicants using a range of selection criteria, including overall academic performance, quality of the essay, commuting distance and costs, and financial need. Each student will receive $500 to help defray the cost of their internship, and each is required to submit a reflective essay about their experience at the end of the semester.

Lake Forest College was the recipient in early 2010 of a $7 million gift from alumna Grace Groner ‘31, who made international news for how she initially made her millions: through smart investing and frugal living. The Groner Scholarship program funds study abroad and internship experiences for Lake Forest College students. The first Groner scholars were named in fall 2010.

One of the first Groner scholars, Fabricio Sordoni ’11, interned while studying abroad in Paris at the headquarters of UNESCO (the United Nations Organization for Science, Education and Culture) as an assistant to the ambassador of the Kuwaiti Delegation and head of the UNESCO G-77. Sordoni’s job consisted of keeping the ambassador updated, with daily and weekly summaries, on UNESCO conferences, workshops and information meetings in preparation for the Executive Board Session of UNESCO.

“It was a truly exceptional experience,” says Sordoni. “There was something new to learn every single day – from climate change, teachers’ rights, the empowerment of women, and education to safeguarding cultural heritage and fostering dialogue and cooperation among nations…”

The internship gave Fabricio hands-on knowledge of the workings of a major intergovernmental organization. It also confirmed his interest in pursuing a career in diplomacy and international cooperation upon graduating from Lake Forest with degrees in international relations and economics.

Spring 2011 Groner scholarship recipients and their internship sites are:

Allyson Bain, United Way of Lake County
Ana De La Torre, Chicago Botanic Garden
Jaden Harkless, Nuestro Center
Nikolay Karatanev, Merrill Lynch
Sarah Lendy, Mason Intervention, Inc.
Dana Augusta Lundsgaard, Writers’ Theatre
Shawn McCloud, The Zeno Group
Daiva Ragas, Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center
Yevgeniy Ryskal, Merrill Lynch
Daysi Vargas Gonzalez, Accretive Health
Natalia Wilkins, Rosalind Franklin University Medical School
Alyssa Wintermute, Lake Forest Open Lands Association
Steven Yena, Safer Pest Control

 

News Contact

Liz Libby
libby@lakeforest.edu
847-735-6011

Related Links:

• Alumna Grace Groner ‘31 gives $7 million to Lake Forest College