MOUNT GREENWOOD — Sarah Dynia has been named a Greenhouse Scholar — a first for a graduate of Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School.
Dynia, a resident of suburban Oak Lawn, graduated in the spring from the all-girls Catholic high school at 3737 W. 99th St. in Mount Greenwood.
She will attend Northwestern University in the fall and plans to study biomedical engineering.
Greenhouse Scholars is a nonprofit organization that provides personal and financial support to high-performing, under-resourced college students. Dynia is one of just 30 students selected from a pool of more than 300 candidates to receive the distinction.
Dynia graduated from Mother McAuley with a 4.32 grade point average. She also served as president of Women in Science and Engineering, co-president of the Junior Classical League and captain of the Science Bowl team — the only all-girls high school team to compete at the National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C.
“Sarah is a shining example of the young women Mother McAuley seeks to attract, educate and enrich through exceptional learning, service, and spiritual growth opportunities,” said Mary Acker Klingenberger, president of the Southwest Side high school.
Outside of class, Dynia founded a nonprofit called Stuffed Love, which sends hand-stitched heart pillows to those in need of hope and love. Her efforts have impacted over 3,500 people.
"We are thrilled to welcome Sarah into the Greenhouse Scholars Class of 2019," said Pete Burridge, chief executive officer of Greenhouse Scholars. "In addition to Sarah's demonstrated academic excellence and the numerous leadership roles she held at Mother McAuley, we were particularly impressed that she has made giving back to her community a priority by starting a non-profit to provide comfort to others."
Colorado-based Greenhouse Scholars was founded in 2005. The program works with low-income college students who are exceptionally high performers.
The average annual household income for the Class of 2019 was slightly more than $31,000, and one in five members of the class worked a job outside of school to help support their family income.
The goal of the Greenhouse Scholar program is to change the trajectories of these students and their families. To date, Greenhouse Scholars has served more than 180 students in Illinois, Colorado and Georgia.
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