The Club provides local scholarships specifically to Joliet area female high school and community college students wishing to better their future by pursuing a college degree. 

​

Scholarships for High School and Community College Female Students
Three $1000 scholarships are awarded annually to female students in Joliet area high schools or community colleges for college expenses via the Young Women Leadership Scholarship. Students must apply for the scholarships and are selected by the Zonta Joliet Club’s Scholarship Committee. Each applicant is evaluated based on academics, service and their future career plans. Winners of the local scholarships have the opportunity to be eligible for district scholarships as well. 

 

 

Toleen Abdelrahim, also a 2024 recipient, is a sophomore at Benedictine University majoring in chemical engineering. She plans to pursue a Ph D. and is interested in drug development and improving patient outcomes.

​

Sophia Bushnell is a freshman at the University of Illinois studying biology. She plans to continue her education in medical school and specialize in psychiatry. Her interest is in the biological basis of behavior.

​

Abria Williamson is a senior at Plainfield North High School and plans to become a filmmaker with the goal of reclaiming narratives and changing how African Americans are portrayed on the screen. 

 

 

​
​​ Madilyn Hagwell, a senior at Providence Catholic High School who plans to become a nurse-midwife.

​

Kathryn Leeders, a senior at Joliet Catholic Academy, who wants to go into occupational therapy.
 

Grace Mennenga a senior at Morris Community High School whose career goal is to become an account.

​

Alivia Schertz, also from Joliet Catholic Academy, who plans to become an entrepreneur focusing on music and art.

​

​

​​

​​​​​​​​​Joliet Junior College Endowed Scholarship
Endowed and established in 1996, the Zonta Club of the Joliet Area Scholarship annually awards two scholarships of $1000  to two young women seeking a career in the business or professional field attending Joliet Junior College. 

​

In 2018, the Sue Bornhofen Culinary Arts Annual Scholarship began awarding  $500 to a female student in the culinary arts, who maintains a minimum 2.50 GPA.

​

In 2020, Zonta Club of the Joliet Area held the inaugural LunaFest film festival in order to raise funds to support these scholarships at Joliet Junior College. Since then, each year,  ZCJA's LUNAFEST fundraiser has raised more than $15,000 to add to the endowment. 

​

In 2024, ZCJA hosted its own film festival, THROUGH HER EYES, to continue this new tradition of a film festival of women's films to fundraise for the JJC Endowed Scholarship which as of April 2024, is endowed with over $60,000 thanks to the four years of the film festival events.