Kenechukwu Uwajeh graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2023 with zero debt. The first-generation Nigerian American majored in psychology, information systems and entrepreneurship, in the hopes of helping people through technology.
“More so from an educational perspective,” she said. “I’m trying to still figure out what that looks like, but I do see myself moving into a leadership role for that — and an opportunity to mentor and help other people advance their careers within the software space with a focus potentially on health care and increasing health care access.”
A senior business development rep at Chicago-based social media software company Social Sprout, Uwajeh saw her aspirations buoyed with the help of the George M. Pullman Educational Foundation, a nonprofit committed to advancing access to higher education for Cook County students. MacKenzie Scott just awarded the organization $10 million in October.
The educational foundation provides renewable scholarships of up to $40,000 over four years to college students. Pullman Scholars, as recipients are called, also receive support, including one-on-one guidance, seminars, an annual symposium, alumni mentoring and on-demand mental health services through the online therapy platform BetterHelp.
“We wanted to give our scholars the agency to ensure that they have the tools in their toolkit to be successful,” said Eric Delli Bovi, executive director of the Pullman Educational Foundation. “What we’ve done is, for free, enroll all of them with the online provider BetterHelp, so at any point during the year … they feel like they need to reach out and talk to someone, they have those tools at their disposal. That’s a big program enhancement that we made based on their (scholar’s) feedback.”
For 75 years, the educational foundation’s endowment has awarded almost $38 million in unrestricted merit and need-based scholarships to almost 12,000 students, with 70% of the 2024 class graduating debt-free. What’s more, Pullman scholars who took out a college loan averaged $3,703 — a sliver of the state average of more than $39,000 in student debt.
The gift comes at a time when the price tag of a college degree is soaring and accessing the funds to pay for it is becoming increasingly difficult, experts say.
A recent Pew Research Center survey revealed that 79% of 3,445 U.S. adults believe colleges and universities are doing a fair or poor job of keeping tuition costs affordable, while 52% say higher education institutions are doing a fair or poor job of providing financial help to students who need it. A summer report from the Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative showed students from the lowest-income families were more likely to skip postsecondary education due to any number of constraints, including the costs, application processes, limited support and resources.
The Pullman Educational Foundation is meeting the moment by increasing the scholarship limit to $10,000 for students and increasing the freshman class by 20% this academic year. While the $10 million has yet to be earmarked, the influx of cash has Bovi excited about the possibilities.
“This infusion in the endowment really gives us the space to think beyond what we have been able to do,” Bovi, the foundation director, said. “It may mean more scholars. It may mean higher dollars. It may mean a lot of things.”
For Uwajeh, Pullman’s programming included monthly check-ins with an educational foundation coordinator that allowed her to reflect on her college journey. She’s hoping that the infusion helps Pullman take its programming to the next level — graduate school, for instance.
The monthly check-ins are a way to remind students that the foundation is available, Bovi said, if they need anything, helping mitigate concerns before they become troublesome. Pullman’s events also offered virtual options for students attending school out of state.
“It was really nice to get to connect monthly about how my experience was going, what was going well, what was challenging me,” Uwajeh said. They would hold many learning sessions, whether on resume building or career planning.
Any high school senior with a 3.0 grade-point average who resides in Cook County is eligible to apply. Extracurricular activities, employment and community service are considered, but SAT or ACT scores aren’t. Finalists are interviewed by a volunteer group of Pullman Scholar alumni.
“It takes a community to award these scholarships,” Bovi said. “That’s something I’m very proud of — to have so much alumni support that comes back and understands how important it is to engage and connect with these future scholars.”
While the financial component is a big part of being a Pullman Scholar, it’s the community that the organization cultivates that makes it a space that Uwajeh likes to come back to and pour into because of the ongoing support, network and alumni.
Her long-term goal is to contribute to the well-being of society at the intersection of health care and technology. It’s all a part of being a Pullman Scholar, she said.
“It is community, it is giving back, it is mentorship, it is lifelong learning and lifelong connections,” Uwajeh said.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/27/george-pullman-educational-gift-mackenzie-scott/
