ACI distributed $50,110 in scholarship funds to 18 eligible students participating this academic year in the ACI/FORVIS Micro-Internship Project by Parker Dewey.
To be eligible for a scholarship, students from participating schools applied for at least four micro-internships or secured one micro-internship by Jan. 31, 2023. Scholarship recipients were selected by financial aid staff at participating campuses, said Daisy Gomez, ACI director, events and scholarships. Whether selected or not for a micro-internship, most students said they appreciated learning about the micro-internships through the project.
In recent years, ACI has worked with Parker Dewey to promote short-term micro-internships to member college students, who gain valuable work experience. To advance micro-internships, ACI was awarded $20,000 to initiate the ACI/FORVIS Micro-Internship Project through a First Opportunity Partners grant by the Council of Independent Colleges, Washington, D.C., with support from the UPS Foundation.
ACI committed to raise an additional $30,000 to fund the project, which was provided by FORVIS, LLP, a professional services firm, offering comprehensive assurance, tax, advisory and wealth management services. Individual donors also provided funding, including Donald J. Campbell Jr., Robert DiMeo and Arch W. Shaw Foundation. Campbell and DiMeo are members of the ACI Board of Trustees.
Micro-internship project funds were distributed to 12 member schools, which assigned the funds to eligible students:
- Aurora University: Leslie Gomez, sophomore, psychology major
- Elmhurst University: Mateo Gomez Bedoya, freshman, secondary education and Spanish major
- Illinois Wesleyan University: Mishwa Bhavsar, senior, computer science major
- Illinois Wesleyan University: Rancel Hernandez, senior, computer science major
- Illinois Wesleyan University: Harsh Patel, sophomore, computer science major
- Knox College: Robert Wills, senior, studio art major
- Lewis University: Genesis Sosa, freshman, business administration major
- McKendree University: Caleb Raymond Fisher, senior, business management major
- North Park University: Jennifer Colunga, junior, nursing major
- Quincy University: Emily Klinner, sophomore , marketing major
- Quincy University: Mary Ruxlow, junior, education major
- Saint Xavier University: Victoria Dolbniak, junior, digital marketing and finance major
- Saint Xavier University: Gabrielle Escobedo, junior, biology major
- Saint Xavier University Danya Mohamed, senior, biochemistry major
- Trinity Christian College: Briana Lowe , senior, health communications major
- Trinity Christian College: Ricardo Emmanuel Monroy, junior, marketing major
- University of St. Francis: Jade A. Parrish, senior, psychology major
- Wheaton College: Chan Daniel Kang, junior, interdisciplinary studies, pre-med major