Karen GJ Lewis, NBCT, Scholarship
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 one-time, non-renewable $10,000 education scholarship to promote and encourage the next generation of Black servant leaders in Chicago’s public education system.
Become a supporter of our future Black education leaders by donating and sending encouraging words to current and future recipients. Click the button below where your contribution will go directly to the Karen GJ Lewis Scholarship Fund. Use the “Mail Box” to send messages of encouragement that we will share with the recipients and our community!
2022 Scholarship Recipient – David Juan Crain
The Chicago Teachers Union and the Chicago Teachers Union Foundation are pleased to announce David Juan Crain as the recipient of the Karen GJ Lewis NBCT Scholarship Award, a $10,000 annual scholarship for the 2022-2023 academic year.
“I refuse to see myself as a victim of society’s racial oppression. I will not allow institutional racism to continue to feel empowered and unchallenged, therefore I am choosing to become an Educator. I have come to realize that to make a change in society we need to empower Black and Brown communities to exercise the political power that we have.” – David Crain
Scholarship Eligibility Requirements
- Applicants must be US citizens, or meet the “undocumented students” criteria of the RISE Act and identify as Black/African American.
- Applicants must be accepted for enrollment on at least a half-time basis as an undergraduate in a teacher preparation program, or alternative licensure program, at an accredited not-for-profit, public or private American college or university, which, upon completion, qualifies the applicant to be licensed as a school teacher by the Illinois State Board of Education.
- Applicants must be enrolled as a CPS student in the academic year of 2023-24 or must be an adult going back to college to become a teacher.
- Applicants must:
- demonstrate Financial Need by having applied for FAFSA financial aid through the US Dept. of Education (FAFSA.gov), and/or
- provide a copy of their Student Aid Report (SAR), or
- provide their college or university’s Needs Analysis, or
- provide a statement of financial need indicating why the scholarship is needed to overcome financial obstacles in gaining access to higher education.
How to Apply
The application submission window opens April 1, 2023 and closes May 15, 2023. No applications will be accepted after 11:59 pm. The scholarship award winner will be announced on June 30, 2023.
For more details, please review the scholarship application overview and form.
For all inquiries, don’t hesitate to contact Carmen Curet, CTUF Executive Director, at carmencuret@ctuf.org and 312-329-6285.