Dear Pullman Educational Foundation Community,

A new school year is upon us, and with that comes a new and impressive group that comprise our 74th Class of Pullman Scholars. These 25 talented young people hail from 22 different high schools across Cook County. Selected from 429 initial applicants, these new scholars collectively achieved a remarkable 3.88 unweighted grade point average in high school. They will be attending 16 different colleges and universities across the country, and 15 out of the 25 new scholar class (60%) are recognized as the first in their families to attend college.

We applaud our new Pullman Scholar achievements and greatly anticipate the continuation of their individual and collective success in the years ahead. We are also grateful to our many Pullman Scholar Alumni Selection Committee members who read applicant essays and conducted interviews throughout the spring, providing their critical insight and recommendations throughout the process.

Our 2023 Annual Report is now available on our website as a testament to the Foundation’s ongoing work to support the journeys of our scholars. It is also an opportunity to share our gratitude for the many contributions made from Pullman Alumni like you by donating your precious time, talent, and treasure to help ensure that scholars graduate on time and with as little debt as possible.

Please take a moment to read the report, entitled Pullman Pathways, and consider making a contribution this holiday season that will help enable vital financial assistance and high-quality programming to continue for our 103 talented and aspirational scholars. Through your support, Pullman Scholars know they have a community of fellow scholars behind them on their journey, and the pathways to success become easier, regardless of one’s starting point or destination. Thank you for your consideration.

On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff, I wish you all a joyous and festive holiday season and a prosperous new year.

 In addition to our annual Scholar Symposium, the Pullman Educational Foundation hosts monthly web-based Scholar Success Seminars that are designed to provide tailor-made learning experiences for our scholar cohort. Our September session topic was “Making the Most of College” that consisted of break out groups led by older scholars sharing their tips and tricks through their lived experiences with the new class. Areas of discussion ranged from time management, navigating different social scenes, utilizing campus resources, and much more.

“Since our 3rd and 4th year scholars hold so much knowledge about how to best navigate college life, we decided to ask them to take over the seminar as presenters rather than participants. It was a great way for them to demonstrate their leadership capabilities and build community among our scholar cohort at the same time.” - Anne Stretz, Scholarship Program Director

In addition, the Foundation conducts monthly check-ins with scholars over email or phone call. This provides a chance for scholars to ask questions, share concerns, provide updates, and connect with the Foundation in an informal way. It also allows the Foundation to remain in frequent contact with scholars to help mitigate any issues that may arise that would disrupt their college education.

STAY CONNECTED

We love hearing from Alumni about life changes and major milestones. Your story is important to us, so please keep in touch. Give us a call at 312.422.0444, or email us at info@pullmanfoundation.org.

You can also update your contact information at Connect - George M. Pullman Educational Foundation (pullmanfoundation.org)

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Thank you for investing in the next generation of Pullman Scholars and their successes.

312-422-0444 info@pullmanfoundation.org www.pullmanfoundation.org