Joliet Junior College – HEROES Scholarships

Teaching Future Heroes

Joliet Junior College

Amount Awarded: $2,500,000 | Project Status: Expected Completion Fall 2025

The Will County HEROES Teaching & Nursing Scholarship is igniting a new generation of heroes by providing $10 million in funding for teaching and nursing students who live in Will County and expect to work at Will County education or health care institutions after graduation.

Utilizing American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, Will County provided $2.5 Million to each higher education partner for the scholarship program: Governors State University, University of St. Francis, Lewis University, and Joliet Junior College.

Joliet Junior College (JJC) has had tremendous success in making an impact with this program, providing over $1 Million in scholarship dollars to 484 students. JJC is also celebrating their first Will County HEROES graduates! 13 teaching and nursing students have earned associate’s degrees and 61 have earned certificates.

This Monetary Award Program–like (MAP) approach – awards participants $2,500 per semester, or $5,000 per academic year, in college tuition and fees as an education and employment incentive for professionals to stay and work in Will County. The success of this grant has been the result of thoughtful collaboration throughout JJC, including multiple modes of promotion, a streamlined application process, and a short turnaround time from point of student application to point of scholarship award.