Juneteenth soirée awards $200K in scholarships to Chicago students

Chicago students win big scholarships at Juneteenth celebration

Some local students received big recognition in honor of the Juneteenth holiday with scholarships that will help them going forward.

CHICAGO - Some local students received major recognition in honor of the Juneteenth holiday with scholarships that will help them going forward.

There was a lot of excitement in South Shore, where a total of $200,000 in scholarships was awarded to Chicago students at the fifth annual Juneteenth Scholarship Soirée.

Local perspective:

The event was hosted by the Chicago Aldermanic Black Caucus Foundation at the South Shore Cultural Center.

There was live music and the Taste of Black Chicago, which showcased the cuisine from eateries and wineries from all over the city.

Mayor Brandon Johnson and other city leaders and business owners were in attendance to salute the 20 students who each took home a $10,000 scholarship.

One of the recipients was Madison O’Shields, who is graduating from De La Salle High School and is headed to the prestigious Spellman College in Atlanta.

"I want to become a reconstructive plastic surgeon," O'Shields said. "I want to specifically help women and minority communities and help them if they've suffered from a terrible accident and help them feel better about their appearances."

She added that she's always had a passion for helping people.

Former Ald. Roderick T. Sawyer also received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his decades of public service.

Since its inception, Chicago’s Aldermanic Black Caucus Foundation has invested more than $750,000 in scholarships for Black youth in the city.