Mindy Bulmash Lucas Memorial Scholarship Fund

The scholarship is in memory of Mrs. Mindy Bulmash Lucas, who graduated from the National College of Education in 1991. Dr. Fred Lucas established this annual scholarship to provide tuition assistance to a student in the National College of Education who recently lost a parent, spouse, or child to cancer, or whose parent, spouse, or child is currently fighting cancer. The amount of the award will vary by year based on the monetary levels of the fund. The Lucas and Bulmash families wish to honor Mindy’s legacy by supporting students who are continuing their education despite dealing with the painful obstacle of a family member battling cancer. 

To be considered for the scholarship, you must:

• Be pursuing a degree in an undergraduate or graduate degree in teaching;
• Demonstrate financial need – must complete the 2021-2022 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA);
• Fulfill the scholarship’s application requirements: application form, resume, and essay, including how they have been impacted by the cancer diagnosis of their parent, spouse, or child, and how their passion for education continues to drive them, despite being faced with this challenge;
• Be in good academic standing and meeting NLU’s satisfactory academic progress (SAP) standards. See SAP policy here: https://nl.edu/student-services/academic-advising-and-success-coaching/academic-progress-policies/

Previous applicants for this scholarship as well as previous recipients of the scholarship may re-apply; however first consideration will be given to applicants who have not received an award in the past. Applications will be reviewed and selected by an academic leadership committee of convened. Awards may only be applied to tuition and so not result in a refund to the student. Application form, resume, and essay must be submitted via e-mail to the scholarship coordinator at stscholarships@nl.edu.

Step 1: The Essay

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

PERSONAL: Include your name and Student ID in the top, right-hand corner of each page.

WRITTEN NARRATIVE: Should include how you have been impacted by the cancer diagnosis of a parent, spouse, or child, and how your passion for education continues to drive you, despite being faced with this challenge.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Note on essays: 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. 
• If you need assistance writing your essay, you can make an appointment to meet with a writing specialist or submit your essay for review through the drop-off essay review online submission form.Contact Learning Support at learn@nl.edu or by phone at 800-443-5522 x3374 with questions. The deadline to request essay assistance is Friday, September 17, 2021.

Step 2: The Resume

You must submit a resume that includes 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 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 312-261-3270 to schedule a resume review or log directly into Handshake (https://nl.joinhandshake.com/login) to make an appointment with a career advisor for resume review. To ensure all students who would like assistance are able to be serviced, resume reviews will not be scheduled after Friday September 17, 2021.

Step 3: The Application

The application deadline is Friday, September 24, 2021. 

Complete the application form online.

All submitted applications will receive an acknowledgement 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.

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

Please Note: This scholarship requires U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status. Undocumented students who reside in Illinois and who meet the scholarship criteria may apply if they have financial need. In order for NLU to assess need, undocumented students must complete the State of Illinois Alternative Application for the MAP Grant, read more here. International students who meet the criteria may apply to receive the NLU Alumni Scholarship. 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 in order to remain eligible to receive NLU scholarships.