Scholarship Impact on Student Life - Chez Veterans Center

Three siblings stand in front of a POW memorial with a flag and eagle painted on a brick wall. The siblings stand shoulder to shoulder. On the left, is the tallest and only male, wearing and US Marine Corp uniform. in the middle, is a woman in a white long sleeve shirt with curly long light brown hair. On the right is a woman with blond hair wearing an air force uniform. — Pictured left to right: Benjamin Hess, Sarah Hess, Rebecca Hess

Benjamin Hess Scholarship

The Center has been honored with several scholarships from our supporters that provide financial support for our programs and students. A new scholarship added this year, was gifted by the family of a current resident, Rebecca Hess (Illinois Air National Guard). Rebecca writes:

“The Benjamin Hess scholarship was created to honor the life of my twin brother Ben who passed away on January 3, 2022. Ben enlisted in the Marine Corps in August of 2019. He graduated boot camp, infantry school, and advanced training before being stationed Bangor Washington. He spent the remainder of his service there. Ben was an exceptionally kindhearted and caring person. He wanted nothing more than to make people smile. Everyone who met him could feel the love and goodness that radiated from him. My family decided to create several scholarships after his passing. Grants were donated around Mercer County/Aledo, the community that we grew up in, as well as a scholarship to our high school. After this devastating loss, the Chez Veterans Center was an absolute blessing to me personally. The community and staff were beyond helpful and supportive. Because of this, my family deemed the Chez as a perfect place to donate the final scholarship to. The scholarship is to one person each semester, for $500 each semester. I am so grateful for the Chez Veterans Center and the amazing people involved in its success.”

This scholarship was provided to our resident, Alessandra Reyes. In Ms. Reyes’ scholarship application, she wrote “I want to start off by expressing how important scholarships like these are for us students and military members. I strongly believe that the hardest part about being in the military is being able to transition back into civilian life.” Ms. Reyes’ is a first generation student in her first year at the University of Illinois.

A woman stands with her arms crossed wearing a army uniform. She is smiling and looking towards the camera. Her hair is dark and pulled back away from her shoulders and face. She stands against a brick wall. — Alessandra Reyes, Army National Guard