Twelve District 202 high school juniors will experience their personal summer learning adventures thanks to the Plainfield Foundation for Excellence.
The Foundation awarded 2025 Horizon Grants to the students to help pay for summer learning enrichment experiences that broaden their academic horizons and explore areas of interest.
The students can use the grants for summer workshops, classes, field studies, internships, or conferences during the summer before their senior year.
“It fills us with pride and hope to support our students through the Horizon Grant program, because every grant is a step closer to helping them turn their dreams into reality,” said Margie Bonuchi, Chair of the Foundation for Excellence.
The 2025 Horizon Grant winners in alphabetical order are:
• Harmony Amegashie (Plainfield East High School) – plans to attend the Texas Undergraduate Medical Academy Summer College Prep program at Prairie View A&M University. The program prepares students for a career in health science or medicine.
• Megan Beintum (Plainfield South High School) – plans to attend the Exploring Mechanical Science and Engineering (EAGER) Camp at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. EAGER camps are mission-driven camp sessions led by engineers aiming for gender equity and representation in STEM majors and careers.
• Ray Brunsting (Plainfield High School Central-Campus) – plans to attend HiArch Summer High School Architecture Program at the University of Illinois Chicago West Campus. HiArch is a summer architecture program designed to introduce high school students to the culture of architecture, design, thinking, and making.
• Charles Hidalgo (Plainfield East High School) – plans to attend Northwestern University’s 2025 Preparation Program In-Focus Seminar: So You Want to be a Doctor? The program will explore what it means to be a medical professional, what the path to medical school consists of, and more.
• Eryn Hodge (Plainfield North High School) – plans to attend The American Legion Auxiliary Illini Girls State. The week-long program is designed to empower and educate young women on the workings of city, county, and state government.
• Zoe Lee (Plainfield East High School) – plans to attend the Worcester Polytechnic Institute Frontiers Summer Program in Massachusetts. The two-week program will prepare Lee for a career in STEM.
• Emily Martin (Plainfield North High School) - plans to complete the certified nurse assistant program through Joliet Junior College this summer. Martin plans to apply to nursing school in the fall of her senior year with a career goal of becoming a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.
• Grace Newberry (Plainfield High School Central-Campus) - plans to attend Developing Tomorrow’s Infrastructure - An Introduction to Civil and Construction Engineering at Purdue University. The one-week summer course allows Newberry the opportunity to learn about a wide range of career opportunities within civil and construction engineering, and more.
• Carson Payne (Plainfield North High School) - plans to attend Focus on Computer Engineering at Milwaukee School of Engineering. This intense, week-long summer camp will challenge Payne to learn more about the computer engineering field through hands-on exposure by working closely with faculty in the labs.
• Lily Pyatt (Plainfield North High School) - plans to attend the FAA Summer Intensive at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign through the College of Fine & Applied Arts. Pyatt hopes the clinic will challenge her and help make her a stronger and more versatile actress.
• Alice Rodney (Plainfield East High School) - plans to attend the NASA Glenn High School Physical Sciences and Technologies Internship at the Glenn Research Center in Ohio.
• Chloe Vasilakis (Plainfield North High School) – plans to attend the Grainger Engineering Summer Camp at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The camps provide exposure to different areas of engineering through demonstrations, lab tours, and more.
Since 1983 the Plainfield Foundation for Excellence has raised and contributed about $1.2 million to support District 202 students and staff through grants, scholarships, and special funding.
The Foundation also has supported special programs including a District Art Gallery and high school leadership programs.
For more information about the Plainfield Foundation for Excellence or to donate, please visit: www.d202foundation.org.