The Western Union Foundation is proud to fuel the academic pursuits of international and immigrant students who have high academic potential yet struggle to afford expensive tuition costs. The Foundation is excited to partner with one of Western Union’s Chicago agents, Community Currency Exchange Association of Illinois, to provide more students in the region with meaningful scholarships for the 2024-2025 school year.
One of the exemplary scholars pursuing a biochemistry degree at Chicago’s North Park University is Fidelie. Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Fidelie entered her senior year with a 4.0 GPA and aspirations of getting into medical school after graduation.
Despite her academic success, Fidelie’s financial situation has been tenuous and added undue stress and anxiety throughout her undergraduate studies. As a recipient of Western Union’s global scholarship, she credits this funding as making a big impact in her academic journey.
“Since I received the Western Union Foundation scholarship, I have much more time to devote to my academic life. I have taken on new roles as president of the African Culture Club and secretary of the American Medical Student Association. I am also doing research in neuroscience at the University of Chicago. This has all been possible because of the scholarship’s support,” shared Fidelie.
Fidelie has dreamed of working in the medical field since she was a kid, having seen firsthand how lack of quality medical care impacts people and communities in the DRC. “I have always wanted to work as a scientist and a doctor and know that the USA has some of the best programs in STEM, while the DRC has poor training in that field.” As the first person in her family to study overseas, Fidelie knows that this is a special opportunity and wants to make the most of it and succeed.
The Western Union Foundation is proud to support Fidelie on her academic journey and partner with local Chicago agent, Community Currency Exchange Association of Illinois, to provide students like Fidelie with the financial support needed to graduate.
“CCEA and Western Union have a long history of serving customers across the greater Chicago area with our products and services, and we value this opportunity to deepen our community impact by supporting local students with scholarships,” said Jerry Tufano, President of CCEA Illinois.
