Higher Education: Madison County woman to study in Spain after winning scholarship

A McKendree University student from Alhambra will continue her studies in Spain after winning a highly-competitive scholarship.

History major Lauren Craft will go to school overseas from January to June, attending the Universidad de Granada on a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship.

The scholarship is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. It offers financial assistance to undergraduate students who want to pursue their academic studies abroad.

More than 2,900 people submitted applications for about 800 awards during the application cycle for the spring 2016 semester.

“I have grown up in a small town in the middle of cornfields and living in Spain for six months will be a drastic change for me,” Craft said. “I believe this experience will help me in my future career in international relations, where I want to work with refugees around the world. Learning a new language and culture will prepare me to help others.”

Craft, whose minors are global studies and Spanish, said her goals for the semester abroad are “learning the Spanish language, learning more about the diverse culture in Granada, and expanding my worldview.”

She wrote several drafts of the essay she submitted to win the Gilman Scholarship. Craft said she is “forever grateful” for the moral support and encouragement she received from McKendree faculty and staff members throughout the application process.

“It has given me an opportunity of a lifetime and I look forward to seeing where it takes me,” she said.

SIUE student earns gig playing with Temptations

Tim Chandler remembers hearing the melodious hit tunes of “My Girl,” “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” “The Way You Do the Things You Do” and “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” from listening to his parents’ vinyl records when he was a kid.

Now the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville piano jazz performance student has a chance to play the songs on stage.

Chandler has been playing keyboards for about a year and a half for Dennis Edwards and The Temptations Revue. Edwards, a Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer and six-time Grammy Award winning lead singer for The Temptations, became a member of the group in 1968, replacing David Ruffin.

“I’d listen to them, and they always seemed to call to me,” Chandler said. “It feels surreal now that I’m on stage playing with them.”

Chandler, an East St. Louis native, originally played percussion. He became interested in keyboards when he was in the eighth grade.

“I was attracted to it so much so that at the age of 14 I made the switch from the drums to the piano,” Chandler recalls. “My parents then bought me a keyboard for Christmas.”

Chandler worked for several years in mechanical engineering and finance. But he couldn’t get music out of his system.

“The piano was always the elephant in the room. It was always gnawing at me,” Chandler said.

The musician then began a series of piano jobs from 2004-2013 that included performances across the country and a seven-year stint in Las Vegas. During that time, the keyboardist made many musical connections, including Gladys Knight and The Village People, and built his reputation in the business.

Chandler auditioned and was selected for SIUE’s Jazz Performance Piano program 2013.

“At the end of my first semester at SIUE, my phone rang and it was James McKay, Dennis Edwards’ musical director,” Chandler said. “So, I went to Dennis Edwards’ house and auditioned for him, and he decided to hire me. I’m traveling almost every week. It’s been wonderful.”

SWIC gets state of the art laser equipment thanks to students’ essay

Southwestern Illinois College student Ashley Robinson, of Wood River, wrote an essay that won her a scholarship that earned the college’s Industrial Maintenance Mechanics program a free laser shaft alignment system.

The national award is part of VibrAlign’s Realigning America scholarship program. Every quarter the program awards scholarships to the students who submit the best essays on their experiences learning machinery maintenance.

Several months ago Ashley submitted an essay to VibrAlign describing her experiences as a student in the college’s Industrial Maintenance Mechanics program. Ashley’s essay was selected, winning her a $500 scholarship and the school a Fixturlaser Laser Kit laser alignment system.

According to David Zdrojewski, VibrAlign chief executive officer, “America’s industrial workforce is aging. As a country we face the challenge of training the next generation. We want to do everything we can to support the training of America’s future industrial workforce so they can compete on the world stage. Helping schools like Southwestern Illinois College is a big part of our commitment to Realigning America.”

This story was originally published December 1, 2015 at 11:36 AM with the headline "Higher Education: Madison County woman to study in Spain after winning scholarship."