Committed to helping its students achieve the American Dream, Elmhurst College has just launched the American Dream Fellowship Competition, a scholarship contest that celebrates and supports first-generation college students. The first-place winner will receive a four-year, full-tuition scholarship. The second-place winner will receive a stipend to cover four years’ room and board. All students who enter the competition will receive a $1,000 annual American Dream Grant, which can be added to previously awarded merit scholarships and/or grant aid. The scholarship contest is open to all first-generation college students who have been admitted to Elmhurst College for the fall of 2018. To enter, students are asked to submit a video to the College by mid-January on the topic: As a first-generation student, what would graduating from college mean to you and your family? The second round of the contest will take place on President’s Day 2018, when the entrants, their family and friends will be invited to an event on campus that includes an in-person interview with each entrant and information sessions for first-generation college student. The event concludes with an awards ceremony hosted by Elmhurst College President Troy D. VanAken, a first-generation college student himself. The American Dream competition and grant are two ways in which the College has sought to support the enrollment of first-generation college students. “We firmly believe in the power of higher education to transform lives,” President VanAken said. “We’re very excited about this competition because it will be a meaningful opportunity to hear directly from our first-generation students, and to celebrate their decision to come to Elmhurst College.” Elmhurst College is a leading four-year college that seamlessly blends liberal learning and professional preparation to help students reach their full potential. Elmhurst offers more than 60 undergraduate majors, 17 graduate programs, degree-completion programs for adults and the Elmhurst Learning and Success Academy for young adults with differing abilities. Elmhurst College is one of the Top 12 Colleges in the Midwest, according to U.S. News & World Report; and U.S. News, Money and Forbes magazines consistently rank Elmhurst as one of the Midwest’s best values in higher education.