The Unit Five Education Association annually awards multiple $1,000 scholarships to current Unit 5 high school seniors, including students pursuing a career in education, the child of a UFEA member, and a student in need of financial assistance who plans to continue their education at a 4-year college, 2-year college, trade school, or in the military.
Phyllis Rosenbaum Scholarships
The Phyllis Rosenbaum Scholarship is awarded to two high school seniors — one at Normal Community and one at Normal West — who will pursue a career in education. The 2025 Phyllis Rosenbaum Scholarship winners are Sophia Hartke from NCHS and Marissa Gabor from NCWHS.
Sophia plans on attending college and earning a degree in special education. In her essay she states that she recognizes the trials and tribulations that come with special education, and this draws her to the field even more. She wants to be the teacher that makes every student feel seen, loved, and heard. Mr. Michael Roller of NCHS sees Sophia as “someone who is mature, trustworthy dedicated, drive and dependable. She is kind to everyone she meets and is fun to be around. To reward her with this scholarship would be an excellent investment into someone that he is positive will have a very successful future.”
Marissa plans on attending Illinois State University and earning a degree in elementary education. She would like to recognize her fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Brockman (Glenn Elementary) for being such a strong influence for her. She considers her a kind, patient, and genuinely passionate teacher who helped her and others not only succeed academically, but also grow as individuals. Mrs. Amanda Long of Normal West stated that “Marissa is a brilliant and compassionate individual whose academic achievements, leadership experience and personal growth make her and exemplary candidate for this scholarship.”
UFEA Scholarship
The UFEA Scholarship is awarded to the child of a UFEA member who is a high school senior. The 2025 UFEA Scholarship winner is Natalie Sokulski from Normal West.
Natalie plans on pursuing a degree in fine arts, leading to a future career as an artist. Natalie thanks Mrs. Peterson and Dr. Beirbaum for championing her academic and artistic endeavors by encouraging her to submit her work to various art showcases, and commissioning her and a friend to help create works to be auctioned off to raise money for the school. Natalie has clearly defined herself as a leader amongst her peers, even going so far as to have her personal work permanently on display in the schools library.
The Impact Scholarship
The Impact Scholarship is awarded to a Unit 5 senior from either Unit 5 high school, who plans to continue their education after high school at a 2 or 4 year college, in the military or at trade school. The 2025 Impact Scholarship winners are Macie and Bailey Vaux from Normal West. This is the first time UFEA has awarded the Impact Scholarship to two students.
Macie and Bailey will be attending SIU-E next fall, Macie will be working towards earning her Bachelors in Nursing leading to earning her Doctor of Nursing Practice, while Bailey will be be earning a business degree with a future of attending law school. Both girls understand the value of hard work, with their mother being a science teacher at Tri-Valley for 27 years, and their father recently retiring from the Normal Fire Dept.
As highlighted by Dr. Valentine Walker at NCWHS, Macie “is an outstanding young woman with an incredible work ethic, a passion for learning and a deep commitment to her community.”
Dr. Jon Beirbaum describes Bailey as someone that he “would put in that upper echelon category of students who have a pronounced ability to strive for personal excellence, collaborate with others , and be engaged in issues that require careful consideration, analysis, and evidence based reasoning.”
About the UFEA Torchbearer Fund
UFEA has historically provided a number of scholarships to students graduating from Unit 5 schools. In 2024, UFEA’s Representative Council launched the UFEA Torchbearer Fund, an endowment which will continue to provide student scholarships and member grants. Learn more about the Fund.
About UFEA Scholarships
Applications for UFEA Scholarship are available each spring. Eligible students are encouraged to apply, and applications are scored on a rubric. The UFEA Torchbearer Fund Committee, led by the Torchbearer Fund Chair, scores the applications and determines the recipients.
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