MCIGS 2025 Scholarship Application

The McHenry County Illinois Genealogical Society is offering a $1,000.00 scholarship to a McHenry County high school senior or college freshman. This scholarship was created to encourage and inspire the coming generation to learn and preserve local history as well as family history.

The scholarship will be awarded to a high school senior or college freshman who has ambitions to study history, preservation of history and/or genetics by majoring in history, historical preservation, genetics, library science, etc. The applicant must be a McHenry County, IL resident, and either a current McHenry County high school senior or a 2024 graduate of a McHenry County high school attending college.

Application Criteria

The following criteria will be used to determine the winner of the scholarship:

• Student:
• Senior attending a McHenry County high school
• College freshman, 2024 graduate of a McHenry County high school, with a home address in McHenry County
• Transcript:
• High school transcript with grade point average from the senior student
• First term college transcript from a college freshman
• Essay describing the student’s interest in learning about and preserving history and/ or genetics as it relates to family history.
• School letter of recommendation:
• High school teacher or counselor from a senior student
• College professor or counselor from a freshmen student
• Letter of recommendation from a community member

Submission Details

Due date: May 6, 2026

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Completed application, transcript, essay and letters must be received in one packet, postmarked by the due date. Please mail to:

MCIGS Scholarship

PO Box 184

Crystal Lake, IL 60039-0184

Finalists will be contacted by email to make arrangements for a 10-minute interview. This is a $1,000.00 one-time scholarship. If you have any questions regarding the scholarship please contact claudia.conroy@mcigs.org or laurie.stage@mcigs.org.

Previous Scholarship Winners

• 2023 Karen Razel - Huntley High School
• 2021 Julia Vogt - Cary-Grove High School
• 2020 Madison Karamagianis - Johnsburg High School