Columbia Central

Gianna Esposito Memorial Scholarship

for continuing undergraduate students

The Gianna Esposito Memorial Scholarship was established to recognize a Photography major, Music major, or Dance major who has demonstrated interest in or engagement with a community-based not-for-profit organization. Students committed to using their chosen artistic field/major to enhance the mission and goals of a community-based organization will be given priority consideration.

Deadline to Apply: February 01, 2025

• How to Apply

  Visit Internal Scholarships and click on APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS to access the College-Wide Undergraduate Scholarship Application. Only complete scholarship applications submitted by the deadline will be reviewed by the scholarship committee. 

  Please follow all directions carefully. Students must submit the following materials to make a complete Gianna Esposito Memorial Scholarship application. There are three parts to the application:

  PART 1: ESSAY

  In a two- to three-page essay, please address the following:

  • Explain how your creative work has helped or would help a not-for-profit organization. Discuss the skills you are learning through work in your major and how you have used or will use them to support the mission and goals of your chosen not-for-profit organization. Explain how the skills you are learning would help the organization as it reaches out to the community. Your ideas should be completely conceptualized, innovative, and kept within realistic parameters.
  • Have you shared your artistic work with a community not-for-profit organization? If so, for which organization(s), and what did your presentation or performance entail?

  Your essay must be double-spaced, and include your name and MyColumbia ID number in the upper right-hand corner of each page. Please upload your response in .doc, .docx, or .pdf format. 
  
  PART 2: WORK SAMPLE

  Please upload a sample of your work. Your sample should be related to the work you intend on or have already done for a non-for-profit organization.

  Please upload your sample in .doc, .docx, .pdf, .mp3, .mov, .wmv, or.mp4 format. Note: Upload size limit is 50MB. 
  
  PART 3: FAFSA SUBMISSION SUMMARY

  A current FAFSA Submission Summary must be on file. To receive a FAFSA Submission Summary, students must complete a 2025-26 financial aid application (FAFSA) by February 1, 2025.
  
  

  Access online applications through Internal Scholarships.

• About Gianna Esposito

  Gianna's family has chosen Columbia College to aid them in their efforts to honor Gianna's memory because this institution is where her love of the arts brought her. The Gianna Esposito Memorial Scholarship Fund aims to keep Gianna's memory alive and to help current and future college students fund their education.

  Perhaps Columbia College's reputation is what inspired Gianna Esposito to enroll in the music and photography programs in 2008. Gianna had a passion for the arts, and the wealth of opportunities in the undergraduate music and photography departments would have been perfect for showcasing her incredible talents.

• Scholarship Terms
  • Application must be submitted by February 1, 2025 (11:59 pm) for review by the committee
  • Previous amount of this one-year scholarship was up to $3,500, awarded half in Fall and half in Spring
  • Scholarship is applied toward tuition only
  • Students' scholarships that are applied toward tuition may not exceed the amount of their tuition costs
  • Recipients must maintain full-time, undergraduate enrollment during the 2025-26 academic year
  • Recipients must have submitted all outstanding documents to Columbia Central before the scholarship can be disbursed. Students can review missing documents in the MyColumbia portal under MyFinancials
  • Scholarship may be used toward a study abroad program through one of Columbia's student exchange programs, excluding Summer sessions. Please note: Recipients who enroll in an independent study abroad program not associated with Columbia College will forfeit their scholarship for the semester spent abroad
  • The rules and regulations governing other sources of financial aid (federal, state, institutional and other grants, gifts, or loans) will apply
  • Columbia College Chicago reserves the right to withhold the scholarship in any year in which, at the sole discretion of the scholarship committee, suitable candidates cannot be found among applicants

IMPORTANT DATES

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