Building a Community of Support
Your Legacy
Building a community of support
Our college community programs are designed to provide academic and co-curricular support to ensure our students reach their goals and develop academically, professionally, and personally.
Academic Redshirt in Science and Engineering (ARISE) is one such program that provides academically talented students coming from low-income backgrounds support and preparation to successfully earn their engineering degrees from the University of Illinois. Students benefit from a customized curriculum that includes preparatory courses, a living-learning community of peers that are inside and outside of the classroom, as well as access to resources including tutoring, career services, and study abroad opportunities.
Thanks to the generous philanthropic support from our engineering community, including lead support from the National Science Foundation and Amazon Lab126, ARISE is providing a community of support for our students to develop into science and engineering leaders.
"ARISE had connected me with a group of peers that help me emotionally and academically. Coming to this university I felt alone and lost. My fellow ARISE students along with ARISE staff helped me understand that I am not alone and that I can get this degree.
I am very grateful and appreciative to people who donate to support our student communities. With donations, you have the power to change lives for the better and that is something that should not be overlooked. ARISE has molded my college experience for the better and I cannot express with words how grateful I am."
- Dios Celin Saenz, ARISE Scholar
"ARISE truly has had an impact on the direction my life has taken post-high school. I’ve been given the opportunity to study engineering at UIUC which I had originally not met the criteria upon application, and now have a job lined up in hardware development which was thanks to ARISE’s connections in the industry. ARISE also provided a cohort of students to network with early on, and academic support through merit classes and other extras.
My most memorable experience being part of ARISE will definitely be the study abroad trip we took to Bolivia. I’ll never forget the feeling of helping others through our labors."
- Oscar Zepeda, ARISE Scholar
You can be a part of our work
Support to the Grainger Engineering Priority Fund provides vital, unrestricted funding that allows us to strategically invest in critical initiatives and supports our most pressing needs - including how we support our students and help them succeed.
Among the many ways gifts to the Grainger Engineering Priority Fund supports The Grainger College of Engineering, the generosity of our alumni and friends allows us to address new and existing challenges as well as those we can’t anticipate.
Honoring a Legacy While Supporting the Future
- Gifts In Action
- August 31, 2022
Building a Community of Support
- Gifts In Action
- April 22, 2021