4 High School Seniors Awarded Scholarships From Batavia Chamber

BATAVIA, IL — Four Batavia High School seniors have been awarded Inspire Scholarships from the Batavia Chamber of Commerce.

The scholarships, each $750, were awarded to Corey Berg, Sofia Johnson, Bradley Beilfuss and Aisling McGrath, all part of Batavia High School's Class of 2022. The four students were presented with checks at BHS's Senior Recognition Night Wednesday.

The four different scholarships — Inspiring Entrepreneurship, Inspiring Women in Business, Inspiring Career & Technical Achievers, and Inspiring Contributors to a Batavia Chamber Business — were created by the makeup of the Batavia Chamber's membership, officials said.

According to Margaret Perreault, president and CEO of Batavia Chamber of Commerce, the scholarship committee was impressed by the number and quality of applications received this year.

"We are happy to support our community with this program," Perreault said in a statement. "Because we are looking for future inspiring leaders, the scholarship application explored this sentiment. The answers we received were inspirational, making it difficult to choose only one awardee in each category."

Here's a look at the four winners and the scholarship category they won in:

Corey Berg, awarded in the Inspiring Entrepreneurship category

• The scholarship is awarded to a student who has interest in starting a business to encourage people to live in Batavia someday.
• Berg will attend Illinois State University as a computer science major.
• According to Chamber officials: "After taking the Incubator class at Batavia High School, Corey created an online custom clothing brand, Limbo Line, which he hopes to continue in college, officials said. It is his dream to use his entrepreneurial skills along with the knowledge gained from his major to create a business related to technology, possibly in software development.""

Sofia Johnson, awarded in the Inspiring Women in Business category

• The scholarship is awarded to a female high school student interested in a business major to encourage more women to pursue these fields.
• Johnson will attend Samford University in pre-business with a concentration in social entrepreneurship.
• According to Chamber officials: "It is her dream to have an ice cream truck that travels across world to bring joy that 'overflows through the ice cream I serve.' Sofia cited Batavia Popcorn Depot owner Talitha Mueller as her inspirational woman in business mentor because not only does she sell delicious popcorn, but she also created a place where everyone feels welcome and accepted."

Bradley Beilfuss, awarded in the Inspiring Career & Technical Achievers category

• The scholarship is awarded to a high school student interested in a trade or career in manufacturing.
• Beilfuss will attend Waubonsee Community College to begin his pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in Computer Aided Design.
• According to Chamber officials: "He is interested in automation engineering or design engineering because he would eventually like to invent new products for a company. He says that his current internship through Waubonsee Community College has given him a good idea of what it’s like to work in different engineering fields at a manufacturing facility."

Aisling McGrath, awarded in the Inspiring Contributors to a Batavia Chamber Business category

• The scholarship is awarded a high school student for working for a Batavia Chamber business during high school.
• McGrath plans to attend Bucknell University for accounting with the goal of becoming a CPA.
• According to Chamber officials: "Aisling worked at Green Tree Bookkeeping, owned by Gina Malvestuto, which she credits for confirming her interest in accounting. She says that this experience gave her the confidence to accomplish her goals and thanks Green Tree Bookkeeping for the opportunity to work for a business that is led by strong women."