WEST ORANGE, NJ, Feb. 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ: LINC), marking 75 years in 2021 as a national leader in specialized technical training, announces that five students from its Melrose Park, IL campus were selected to receive the Rebel Voices Scholarship, provided by the Magnus Charitable Trust. The recipients are training at Lincoln Tech to launch careers in fields including electronic systems technology and healthcare support.
In a recent ceremony at the Melrose Park campus, students Maria Gonzalez, Jorge Huinac-Perez, Vanessa Medrano-Zamora, Takeisha Williams and Michel Zetina were recognized for their achievements and presented with their awards. Victoria Magnus, Director of the Magnus Trust Foundation and daughter of co-founders Alexander and Maria Magnus, was on hand for the event.
“There’s more than one way to ‘do’ school,” Victoria says. “Thinking it has to be a 4 year program adds too much pressure and stress to the process for many students. It’s eye-opening for the students and parents we work with at Magnus to see other kinds of opportunities that are available.”
“Victoria and Maria have hearts of gold,” says Karen Clark, President of Lincoln Tech’s Melrose Park campus. “Their help and support of this group of Lincoln students is immeasurable.”
The Chicago-based Magnus Charitable Trust was started in 1995 by Alexander B. Magnus, Jr., a World War II veteran who transformed his experiences around the world into the vision for a philanthropic organization dedicated to eradicating hunger and expanding access to education worldwide. By providing the financial support for students to attend school – and by helping students realize pathways they may not have otherwise considered – the Magnus family has a profound impact not only on individual students, but on the nation’s workforce.
“My father wanted to support the ‘underdogs’ and give back both internationally and domestically,” Victoria explains. “He recognized that skilled trade professionals would always be in demand, and after he passed and my mother took over the Trust operations, she envisioned a scholarship fund that would help students explore those career opportunities.”
In 2004 Maria Magnus followed through on her vision, creating the original 4-year scholarship program. Victoria stepped in to help expand scholarship opportunities to students attending trade schools and EMT programs last year through the establishment of the Rebel Voices Scholarship.
To qualify for the awards, each applicant was required to submit an essay and instructor evaluations. Victoria says applicants were judged on their commitment to their education, and to their futures. “Our students who are selected as Rebel Voices are the people who are willing to do the work no matter what. They want to be there and keep working, even if they might slip up at times. They’re thinking of their future, and their future families. We want to help them start fresh in their careers without the burden and stress of student loan debt.”
By bridging the gap between the cost of attending school and the students’ financial resources, the Magnus Charitable Trust helps students graduate with a clearer vision for their career paths, and their futures. Students who enter the workforce can more quickly start working toward their financial goals as well as their personal and professional goals.
Along with financial support and educational guidance, students in the Rebel Voices program are also matched with mentors who assist with the transition to college life: enrolling for classes, getting involved in campus activities, and interacting with administrators. Knowing they have someone in their corner can help keep students motivated in overcoming the challenges that come with pursuing higher education.
Victoria says that Lincoln Tech hasn’t only changed the students’ perspectives on higher education – it’s changed hers as well. “Lincoln Tech was the first of our partner schools that I’ve been able to see personally,” she says. “It felt like a family, and changed my perspective on what a trade school should be.”
She adds that her father would have appreciated Lincoln Tech’s programs and educational philosophy as well: “He would have been fascinated with the facilities and equipment, and probably would have tried to enroll me! I think he would have enjoyed teaching at a school like this as well.”
Lincoln Tech looks forward to continuing the relationship with the Magnus Trust, Clark says, adding that the family’s support is “tremendous for our students and motivates them through the hard times.”
The Magnus Charitable Trust is actively seeking new community partners throughout the Chicago region. To learn more, visit Magnuscharitable.org.
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About Lincoln Educational Services Corporation
Lincoln Educational Services Corporation is a leading provider of diversified career-oriented post-secondary education. Lincoln offers recent high school graduates and working adults career-oriented programs in five principal areas of study: automotive technology, health sciences, skilled trades, information technology, and hospitality services. Lincoln has provided the workforce with skilled technicians since its inception in 1946.
Lincoln currently operates 22 campuses in 14 states under four brands: Lincoln Technical Institute, Lincoln College of Technology, and Euphoria Institute of Beauty Arts and Sciences. Lincoln also operates Lincoln Culinary Institute in the states of Connecticut and Maryland.
For more information, visit lincolntech.edu.
Peter Tahinos Lincoln Educational Services (973) 736-9340 x49233 PTahinos@lincolntech.edu