The Park Ridge Chamber Scholarship goes to...

PARK RIDGE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AWARDS 2016 SCHOLARSHIPS

The Park Ridge Chamber of Commerce is pleased to award Adriana Sclafani and Aneri B. Patel the 2016 Park Ridge Chamber Scholarship. Each candidate was carefully reviewed and selected by the Chamber Board based on academic standings, extracurricular activities, community service, letters of recommendation and their overall contribution to society.

Adriana Sclafani, a senior at Maine South High School, will attend University of Illinois Urbana – Champaign this fall to pursue a degree in Criminal Justice. Her fascination with law began when she realized how the principles encompass social justice and quality in our society. In recent years, Sclafani has devoted her time to help those who are less fortunate. She has led fundraising efforts for both the Salvation Army and Feed My Starving Children.

In 2010, Sclafani and her sister took fundraising to a new level and began a charity called Kids Giving Back – Chicago. Through this charity, over $3,000 has been donated to Lurie Children’s Hospital. Academically, she has been an active participant in numerous organizations and accelerated course work as well as having served as President of the Maine South Key Club. Ms. Sclafani believes “If you put your mind to it, you can achieve anything” and intends to pursue this positive attitude throughout her college career and beyond.

Aneri B. Patel, a senior at Maine East High School, will attend Stanford University this fall to pursue her dream of becoming a Chemical Engineer. Patel has been an extremely productive member of society and hopes to create a new standard for environmental conservation in her future career. Currently, she is a member of the National Honors Society, the Maine East Historical Society, Student Council, Class Council, and the Rotary Inact to name a few. She also volunteers her time through charity work including, but not limited to the Sunday Supper, Maine East High School Canned Food Drive, and the Park Ridge Charity Classic.

Patel founded the Colorwalk and raised over $3,500 which gave four children with Muscular Dystophy the chance to attend the MDA Summer Camp - all expenses paid. Through this experience, she learned skills such as risk management, logistics, finance, advertising and gained a real-life understanding of a competitive business environment. Though at times it was a difficult journey, her perseverance led to her ultimate accomplishment. Ms. Patel said, “On this day, four smiles taught me that failure is not the end result; it is merely the journey to success.”

Both Aneri B. Patel and Adriana Sclafani are perfect examples of strong, persistent leaders. Their actions and call to service along with their outstanding academic achievements deserve the highest recognition.

"The Park Ridge Chamber of Commerce recognizes the value young people like these are already bringing to our community and our country, and our members want to honor them and help them achieve even more," Haller concludes.