Plainfield South Alumna 1 Of 5 Nationwide To Win Grant For Entrepreneurial Spirit

PLAINFIELD, IL — A 2025 Plainfield South High School alumna was one of five nationwide to receive a grant that recognizes students for overcoming adversity.

Elaina Poston is the first Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 student to win the GritGrant, sponsored by Uncharted Learning and The McKenzie Foundation.

The GritGrant rewards students for showing grit, through resilience and focus, and having character traits such as kindness and discipline. Breanna Roti, one of Poston's teachers at Plainfield South, nominated the grad for the grant.

"Elaina has a powerful combination of passion, perseverance, and never quit attitude," Roti wrote in her nomination letter.

Roti leads the INCubator classes at Plainfield South. The district launched the "Shark Tank"-like elective program at all four high schools in August 2024 as a way to teach students the skills and behaviors of entrepreneurs.

Poston was on one of the high school's INCubator teams whose startup, Essentially Fresh, won first place in the district's inaugural Entrepreneurial Student Pitch Night May 6. According to district officials, the then-student was motivated by the program and her peers to fully commit to work on Essentially Fresh, which makes all-natural car air fresheners.

Poston learned she won the GritGrant when James McKenzie, the grant founder, put winners' photos up on a big screen during an INCubator conference.

"I was very emotional," Poston said of seeing her photo among the winners, District 202 officials wrote in a news release.

McKenzie presented Poston with a trophy and a $2,500 check in the Plainfield South INCubator classroom Dec. 16 in front of family, administration and students currently in the entrepreneurial program.

Poston encouraged students to never give up when pursuing their goals.

"I know it sounds cringy, it sounds cheesy, but everything you do is going to go unrecognized, and you may feel like no one is appreciative of all your hard work and efforts,” she said during the presentation on Dec. 16. "It's important you keep putting in your all into everything because one day someone is going to recognize it and appreciate all you do."