Karen GJ Lewis Scholarship Award 2023
The Karen GJ Lewis, NBCT, Scholarship application is now due June 5, 2023
The Chicago Teachers Union Foundation is pleased to announce the 2023 Karen GJ Lewis Scholarship Award.
To honor Karen GJ Lewis’s immense contributions to labor, education, social justice and community engagement, the Chicago Teachers Union and the American Federation of Teachers each pledged $100,000 to promote and encourage the next generation of Black servant leaders in Chicago’s public education system. The Karen GJ Lewis Scholarship is a one-time, non-renewable $10,000 education scholarship.
David Juan Craig sends his appreciation to the Chicago Teachers Union Foundation for being the first recipient of the Karen GJ Lewis, NBCT, Scholarship Award.
Please click the image to view a video of how the scholarship impacted David through the generous support from the CTU Foundation by providing $10,000, but just as important, mentorship from CTUF Quest Center Director, Walter Taylor, to navigate being a educator of color and how to be a positive impact on their students.
Award Intent
To honor Karen GJ Lewis’s immense contributions to labor, education, social justice and community engagement, the Children & Teachers Foundation of the Chicago Teachers Union will award a $10,000 scholarship to promote and encourage the next generation of Black servant leaders in Chicago’s public education system.
How to Apply
Please send the completed application form to scholarships@ctuf.org with the subject line, “Karen Lewis Scholarship Application 2023 – Your Name” by Monday, June 5, 2023.
KAREN GJ LEWIS SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION
For more details, please review the scholarship application overview and form.
For all inquiries, please contact Carmen Curet, CTUF Executive Director, at carmencuret@ctuf.org and 312-329-6285.
Karen GJ Lewis, National Board Certified Teacher, was elected president of the Chicago Teachers Union in 2010, and through her bold leadership, changed the narrative around public education in Chicago and the United States. During her tenure, the CTU created a model for union organizing and the fight for education justice, and built strong and lasting relationships with parents and community organizations across the city.
Under Karen’s dynamic vision, Chicago public school educators launched the city’s first strike in more than 25 years, after which teachers returned to classrooms not only with fair wages, but a new path centered on social justice unionism and increased engagement of rank-and-file members. A longtime high school chemistry teacher and daughter of two CPS educators, Karen and her team also fought to end school privatization and the influence of high-stakes, standardized testing, empowered educators to take on positions in city and state leadership, and reactivated the Chicago Teachers Union Foundation and the Children & Teachers Foundation.
Each year the Children & Teachers Foundation of the Chicago Teachers Union will award a $10,000 scholarship to promote and encourage the next generation of servant leaders in public education.
Scholarship Criteria: Black individuals who are Chicago Public School students entering college, adult non-traditional new, or transitioning students pursuing a career in education.
Click here to learn how to apply.
For all inquiries, please contact Carmen Curet, CTUF Executive Director at carmencuret@ctuf.org and 312-329-6285.