CME Group, the world's leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, and Chicago Mayor
Lori Lightfoot have awarded 25 Star Scholars with scholarships towards earning a degree at a four-year college or university. The award recipients recently graduated from City Colleges of Chicago with an associate degree and will receive a $5,000 scholarship from CME Group to continue their education, helping create more equitable opportunities for hardworking students in Chicago.
"Given the enormous challenges our community college students have faced over the past year, we are beyond excited to see them persevere and continue achieving academic excellence at four-year institutions," said Chicago Mayor
Lori E. Lightfoot. "CME Group also values the determination of our students and this investment will not only support them in their academic and career journeys, but also provide our city with a diverse pipeline of talent that will help us emerge from this pandemic stronger than ever."
"We applaud these scholars for their relentless commitment earning their associate degrees despite what was an extremely challenging time," said CME Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Terry Duffy. "We are proud of their achievements to date and pleased to contribute to their continued education which will allow them to reach their career goals."
For the fifth consecutive year, CME Group has selected 25 Star Scholar students from City Colleges of Chicago who graduated in May and Summer 2021 with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above. The scholarships will support them in furthering their college career with a bachelor's degree in accounting, business management, math, computer science (IT), finance or economics at one of the Chicago Star Partner colleges and universities in the fall.
"I want to thank CME Group for investing in our community and removing barriers for participation for these talented and hard-working students," said Chancellor
Juan Salgado. "Our city's collective future success is dependent on building a more inclusive Chicago economy and these scholarships help ensure that more students have the educational opportunities they deserve."
The Chicago Star Scholarship program at City Colleges of Chicago has helped more than 10,500 CPS graduates pursue their associate degree debt-free with 85% being Black and Latinx. Star Scholars are diverse, representing the diversity of Chicago and more than 175 CPS high schools. Forty-eight percent of first-time, full-time Star Scholars who started in Fall 2017 graduated from City Colleges within three years, exceeding the national average for community colleges.
CME Group joined the Star Scholars movement in 2017 after a long partnership with the City of Chicago on initiatives designed to help make college more affordable and attainable for CPS graduates. Dating back to 1986 when CME Group and the City of Chicago launched the CME Group Mayoral Award for Student Achievement, CME Group has annually supported high-achieving CPS students in pursuit of college degrees, resulting in thousands of scholarships and estimated financial support exceeding $2 million.
For more information on the Star Scholarship at City Colleges of Chicago, visit www.ccc.edu/starscholarship.
