Celebrating Scholarship: Lily Diego-Alvarez
As a child, Lily Diego-Alvarez’s dream was to attend a university. Due to her blindness, language barriers, and lack of financial resources upon arriving with her family to the United States from Mexico, she always questioned whether her dream could come true. When Lily, a MSW student and scholarship recipient, spoke at JACSW’s annual Dean’s Scholarship Dinner, attendees were inspired by her story of overcoming these challenges to receive the education she always dreamed of, and how her scholarship award supported her journey along the way.
The Scholarship Dinner, held on November 12th, brought together donors and students for an inspiring evening to celebrate the generosity of the school’s donors and the academic accomplishments of student scholarship recipients like Lily. Dean Hairston kicked off the evening with reflections on JACSW’s unique mission to support underserved urban populations and its need for scholarships to support its dedicated students, many of whom are first-generation college students.
JACSW is fortunate to have a network of generous and committed donors who make it possible for so many deserving students to gain a transformational education and become successful social workers. Several of these donors were recognized at the dinner; the Dean acknowledged Nancy Alexander, featured in this issue, for her endowed scholarship fund for students working with the elderly and Harvey Treger, Emeritus Professor, for his donation which supports scholarships for students working in field placements in police social work. The Chicago Foundlings Home was recognized for its scholarship assistance granted to students working in field placements with at-risk teenagers, young women, and single mothers. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority’s Patricia Counce Memorial Scholarship was highlighted for its financial support of students committed to community service. The program also gave special recognition to the Sandra Alberti Award Fund, the Kott Gerontology Scholars Award, the Gabe W. Miller Memorial Award, and the Smith Barney Mercantile Foundation Scholarships.
However, the highlight of the evening was when guests were treated to Lily’s remarks. During her speech, Lily, a Dean’s Award Scholarship recipient, described the obstacles she’s had to overcome in order to reach her educational goals. “I have always experienced inaccessibility because of my blindness, discrimination because of my ethnicity and cultural background, and have lacked resources to facilitate my success because of poverty.” Lily is a first-generation college student, and while her hard work and determination clearly brought her to where she is today, she credits her scholarship award for helping to make her dreams a reality. “I firmly believe in promoting access to higher education for persons with disabilities. The scholarship I received not only helps me reach my educational goals, but also helps me fulfill my lifelong ambitions. I am honored to be here, and hope to uphold the values of social work in my future endeavors.”
JACSW would like to express its gratitude to all of its donors, alumni, and friends for their ongoing support which makes higher education accessible and attainable for so many future social workers in Chicago.