Patricia Cassin-Graft Student Teacher Assistance Fund Award

Patricia Cassin-Graft, Class of 1957, and Michael J. Graft, Sr. established the Patricia Cassin-Graft Student Teacher Assistance Fund at National Louis University in 2004. The fund is a permanent endowment funded by generous donations from the Graft family and other donors. The fund is meant to assist candidates dedicated to teaching in under-served schools, who face financial stress while student teaching, and who recognize the importance of the philanthropic values that have made these funds available.  Cassin-Graft Scholarship Fund Booklet Released: https://nl.edu/news-and-events/news/news-pages/cassin-graft-scholarship-fund-booklet/

Currently, the committee seeks to assist graduate or undergraduate candidates about to complete their final term of student teaching requirements. The fund does not provide cash awards. Recipients of the award receive a credit to their account at National Louis University to offset the cost of tuition during their final term of student teaching. The fund does not cover student fees.

NOTE: Students in a residency or paid student teaching program are ineligible for this scholarship. Students who are employees or dependents of employees receiving a tuition waiver are also ineligible.

The committee looks for candidates of exceptional talent who: a) are committed to teaching in underserved, high-needs schools; b) show promise of becoming highly qualified teachers and role models in Illinois-only; and c) have significant financial need.

Students who are interested in being considered must meet the following eligibility guidelines:

• Candidates applying by the Friday, September 27, 2024, deadline must have Content Test passing scores on file with NLU to be considered.
• Be a full or part-time degree candidate concentrating in early childhood, elementary, middle grades, secondary, or special education.
• Complete all pre-requisite courses for student teaching by the time student teaching begins.
• Maintain a grade point average of 3.25 or higher.
• Submit an essay describing your aspirations and financial needs.
• Submit a resume.

• Submit at least one letter of recommendation from an NLU faculty or adjunct faculty member who has had you in at least one class within the last 12 months. 
• Submit the completed application by the deadline, Friday, September 27, 2024
• Complete the 2024-2025 FAFSA or demonstrate financial need as assessed by the University’s financial aid office.
• Confirm your intention to teach in the Chicago Public Schools or other underserved, high-needs Illinois schools where the need for teachers is the greatest.

Step 1: The Essay

To be considered for this award, the candidate should prepare an original written narrative that includes all of the following topics in the order presented below:

PERSONAL: Your name and Student ID

COMMITMENT TO TEACHING

• Why do you want to teach?
• Your favorite age group to teach, and why
• Your favorite subject to teach, and why
• Confirm your intention to teach in the Chicago Public Schools or other underserved, high-needs Illinois schools 

LEADERSHIP

• Why do you want to teach in an underserved or high-needs school?
• What do you think your biggest challenge in the classroom will be as a new teacher, and how will you overcome that challenge? 
• Why do you think you should be selected among the other applicants who meet the criteria for this scholarship? 
• How will you sustain your commitment to teaching? 
• How will you "pay it forward" if you receive an award? 

 CIVIC/VOLUNTEER INTERESTS AND AWARDS

• A description of any off-campus volunteer work or causes in which you have participated over the last two years
• Description of other scholarships or awards received in the past

FINANCIAL NEED

• A general description of the financial need you will face during your student teaching
• A general description of other financial resources available to you and other financial obligations that you have

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Any additional information that you think may be useful for consideration
• Note on essays: The typographical, grammatical, and editorial quality of essays are weighed as a reflection, in part, of an applicant’s ability to communicate and teach language and communication skills. 
  
  

Students are welcome to schedule an appointment to meet with one of our writing specialists at any stage of their essay (including brainstorming) with writing specialist Carlos Alverio. (Students can schedule directly with Carlos by clicking here.) Email correspondence is preferred, as between quarters, campus coverage is limited. For questions, call 312.261.3374. The deadline to request essay assistance is Wednesday, September 18, 2024.

Step 2: The Resume

You must submit a resume with your contact information, including the name and phone numbers of your current place of employment if you are employed. Your resume is an opportunity to highlight any accomplishments that make you an ideal merit scholarship recipient. Examples of additional resume sections might include Honors, Activities, Achievements, Foreign Languages Spoken or Volunteer Experience.

The Career Bridge Office can assist with resume writing. Contact them at careerbridge@nl.edu or log into Presence to schedule an appointment directly with your Career Advisor for a resume review. Resume reviews will not be scheduled after Monday, September 16, 2024, to ensure all students needing assistance can be serviced.

Step 3: Letter of Recommendation from an NLU Faculty Member

You must submit at least one letter of recommendation from an NLU faculty or adjunct faculty member who has had you in at least one class within the last 12 months through the ScholarshipUniverse portal.

Step 4: The Application

Student interns or those in a residency or paid student teaching program are ineligible for this scholarship. Students who are employees or dependents of employees receiving a tuition waiver are also ineligible.

The application deadline for candidates who will student teach in a 2025 Winter or Spring term is Friday, January 17, 2025. Please note: Content Tests must be passed and on file with NLU before applying for this award. 

To apply, complete the application form online. You will need your NLU student portal username and password to apply. 

All submitted applications will receive an acknowledgment email confirming receipt. If you do not receive a response to your application within one business day, it is your responsibility to contact us so that we can work together to identify the issue.

• Applicants may email questions to Suzanne Martinez at Suzanne.Martinez@nl.edu or Lesley Niggemann, Senior Administrative Coordinator, at lniggemann@nl.edu.
• Finalists will be asked to interview in person with university representatives and the Graft family. There will be one interview date scheduled for selected applicants. No rescheduled interviews will be conducted.
• Recipients of the award may be asked to participate on an occasional basis in special events.

Only complete applications will be reviewed. All application materials, including the online application, essay, letter(s) of recommendation, and resume, must be submitted by the application deadline. The decisions of the scholarship committee are final.

Please Note: Students must demonstrate financial need by completing a 2024-2025 FAFSA or by demonstrating financial need to the Student Finance Office if they are undocumented or International. For NLU to assess need, undocumented students must complete the State of Illinois Alternative Application for the MAP Grant. NLU scholarships may only be used towards tuition charges and are not refundable to the student. Students must adhere to all University policies noted in the Catalog to remain eligible for NLU scholarships.