Three Chicago Campus students will each be awarded $25,000 diversity scholarships this fall thanks to a generous $75,000 grant from the Hearst Foundations. These scholarships help promote diversity and inclusion at the University, as well as encourage students to work in marginalized communities after they graduate.
“Scholarships like these help increase access to higher education for historically underrepresented populations, and help us to ensure we have a more diverse and inclusive student body,” said Adler University Vice President of Admissions Craig Hines, who is leading the search for scholarship recipients. Although the scholarship is not needs based, it is intended to support students from underrepresented backgrounds. “We also hope these scholarships help create a ripple effect in communities, as many of our students give back to their communities by working to advance social justice and equity.
When Johannil Napoleon, a licensed counselor and activist who works with children and adolescents, decided to pursue her Psy.D., she was attracted to Adler University’s social justice mission.
However, after Napoleon was accepted in the Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) in Clinical Psychology program in Chicago, she struggled with whether to enroll when faced with tuition expenses. Napoleon received Adler’s Diversity Assistantship, which is a participatory program at the University that helps with her tuition for the program.
Napoleon, a native of the Dominican Republic, said that as an immigrant and a person of color, “being supported the way that I have at Adler has been very beneficial to me.” It has allowed her to focus on her academics and on advancing social justice.
When representatives of the Hearst Foundations visited the Chicago Campus in November, Napoleon met with them to explain what a scholarship means to a graduate student and clinician like herself.
Her hope is that the Hearst Foundations Scholarship will provide other students of diverse backgrounds with the same level of opportunity and support she has experienced at Adler University.