Great Lakes National Scholarship Awards Over $2 Million to Support College Access

825 Students Majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics Awarded $2,500 Each

Madison, Wis., August 24, 2016—Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc. (Great Lakes) recently awarded scholarships to 825 students in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) majors through its Great Lakes National Scholarship Program.

The program addresses employers' shortage of qualified employees in STEM fields—and offers a chance to decrease income inequality in our country. A disproportionately small number of STEM majors and students pursuing STEM careers are first in their family to complete college, students of color, or female students. With undergraduate STEM degrees and programs offering students a promising future with good wages, the scholarship program—administered by Scholarship America^®—helps fulfill Great Lakes' mission of improving lives for the better through positive education outcomes.

To thousands of students who received $2,500 toward completion of their STEM program over the past six years, the Great Lakes National Scholarship Program has had a very real and positive impact on helping them achieve their educational goals. Meet some of the ambitious students who are celebrating their recent scholarship award for the upcoming 2016-2017 academic year.

Karen Camacho, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Chemical Engineering

Gareth G. Trubl, Ohio State University, Environmental Microbiology

Erica Na Yeon Lee, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Bioengineering

Partnering with millions of students, the U.S. Department of Education and other lenders, and more than 6,000 schools to make higher education possible, Great Lakes and its affiliates support research and scaling grants, as well as initiatives that strive to make educational readiness, access, and completion a reality for all students. To learn more, visit community.mygreatlakes.org.