Gale Scholars Program announces 11 new members. See who's in the Class of 2026

GALESBURG — The Gale Scholars Program has announced the induction of its newest class, the Gale Scholars Class of 2026.

The 11 Galesburg District 205 students selected for the program include: Joy Basosa-Nzumba, Belina Carillo-Fredrickson, Davion Collins, Aidan Hugai, Vainqueur Mulata, Moses Ponce, Amaya Savage, Jacob Sperry, Lyric Sullivan, Bailee Temple and Daidriana Willford.

The Gale Scholars induction ceremony for these students was held Tuesday, May 10, at Galesburg High School's Little Theater.

According to Gale Scholars Director Steve Cheesman, these outstanding students have gone through a rigorous selection process (application, references, interview, etc.) and impressed the selection committee with their intelligence, imagination, goals and energy. The 11 students have participated in a variety of school and community activities, have performed significant community service and have excelled in the classroom (8th grade cumulative GPA of over 3.50).

Gale Scholars will receive a tuition free college education at Carl Sandburg and Knox College if they meet the programs requirements, which include achieving academic standards, participation in extracurricular activities, performing community service and enrolling in four years of summer school. The program is open to any Galesburg 8th grade student. To become a Gale Scholar, a student must be a potential first generation college graduate. Criteria for eligibility is also based on income need, high academic performance and citizenship.

"We send our heartiest congratulations to them and look forward to helping them achieve their dreams," Cheesman said. "I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to Angela Vanderbloom, Churchill Junior High School dean, and Amy Burford, Sandburg College Gale Scholars representative, for their terrific work with the selection process."

The program was recognized by the Illinois Board of Higher Education in 1999 as one of six exemplary "best practices" within the State of Illinois — a program that directly addresses the growing number of youth who, because of socio-economic barriers, often are not given the opportunity to realize their full potential as scholars and future leaders in our community.

This article originally appeared on Galesburg Register-Mail: Gale Scholars Class of 2026 for Galesburg, IL, students announced