Plainfield East Senior Earns Full-Ride Scholarship To Northwestern

PLAINFIELD, IL — There were times when Jelidiah Gyamfi desperately wanted to give up on applying dream scholarship opportunity that at times seemed too far out of reach to even chase after.

But for the Plainfield East High School senior, perseverance paid off in a major way.

Gyamfi recently earned a four-year, full-ride scholarship to Northwestern University in Evanston through the national QuestBridge Scholarship program. She is the second Plainfield East student to earn the scholarship after Joshua Kayiwa earned the same scholarship to Vanderbilt University in 2019, the school announced.

Gyamfi is one of 1,674 students from around the country to earn one of the scholarships, which are offered through 32 partner colleges and universities. The non-profit program offers scholarships to students from families who might not be able to afford to send their children to college due to financial hardships, the school announced in a news release.

“I was very excited, screaming, jumping, clapping when I heard I won,” Gyamfi said.

Gyamfi was born in Japan and lived there until she was 7. Her family moved frequently when she was growing up because her dad was in the military, she said.

Before moving to Illinois last year, she lived in Georgia, Maryland, and Colorado. Her father turned his career focus from the military to mission work with the Ghanaian Church of Pentecost and moved to Illinois.

She plans to pursue legal studies with the goal of becoming a human or civil rights attorney, she said.

The 18-year-old had to write two essays, answer questions and receive two letters of recommendation from teachers in his core academic subjects to apply. More than 16,500 students apply for the scholarship, which covers the full cost of tuition, room, and board for four years.

At the times when the application process became difficult to bear, Gyamfi said she relied on her friends, family, and faith to see her through.

“In those moments of desperation when you think you are alone, reach out to those who support you,” she said. “If you don’t, you will end up talking yourself out of your own miracle.”

Christine Belcastro, a school counselor at Plainfield East, said Gyamfi has a consistent drive to success and the school is proud of her.

“She is beyond respectful, has been a joy to work with, and I look forward to hearing of her future accomplishments,” Belcastro said.