Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot joins CME Group, the world's leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, in recognizing 25 City Colleges of Chicago graduates who will receive scholarships from the company to continue their education at a four-year college or university. The winners recently graduated from Chicago's community college system with an associate degree, having earned it debt free as recipients of the Chicago Star Scholarship. Each student will receive an additional $5,000 scholarship over two years from CME Group to support completion of their bachelor's degree, creating more opportunities for students with diverse economic backgrounds to pursue their higher education goals.
"The Star Scholarship program expands equity and opportunity for our dedicated students, helping us build a stronger pipeline of talent across Chicago," said Mayor Lori Lightfoot. "CME Group recognizes the strength and determination within our community colleges, and we are honored to help these students reach the next milestone in their path to success."
"We are proud of all the hard-working students we are able to help support as they continue their college education," said CME Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Terry Duffy. "We wish these scholars great success in finishing their studies and starting their careers, which will help power both our local and global economy going forward."
For the fourth year in a row, CME Group selected 25 Star Scholar students from City Colleges of Chicago to receive scholarships that will support them in furthering their college career with a bachelor's degree in accounting, 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 creating the opportunity for talented and hard-working students to pursue their academic goals, regardless of their financial means," said Chancellor Juan Salgado. "Together, we are putting City Colleges students on the path to upward mobility and helping to create a more inclusive Chicago economy."
The Chicago Star Scholarship program at City Colleges of Chicago has helped more than 8,550 CPS graduates attend college tuition-free. Star Scholars are diverse, representing more than 75 Chicago ZIP codes and more than 175 CPS high schools. Forty-four percent of first-time, full-time Star Scholars who started in Fall 2016 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 awarded nearly $2.2 million to thousands of high-achieving CPS students in pursuit of college degrees.
Recipients of this year's CME Group Star Partnership Mayoral Award graduated in May and Summer 2020 with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above and a major in accounting, management, math, computer science (IT), finance or economics.
For more information on the Chicago Star Scholarship at City Colleges of Chicago, visit www.ccc.edu/starscholarship.
