The Forrest and Cynthia McIlwain Freedom Scholarship

Forrest and Cynthia McIlwain established this endowed scholarship to honor those who were held as slaves in the United States and those who have fought against slavery.

The McIlwain’s see education as one way to find freedom from the sense of inequality. They feel that too many people, who because they are lacking a sufficient education, unconsciously surrender their sense of self worth and their sense of individuality to other people who they have deemed to be superior, all too often from the basis of their more extended education. The McIlwain’s feel that through education more people can begin, at a minimum, to see themselves on an equal footing in their interactions with the rest of the world. They feel that through education all of society will prosper as more people begin to contribute from the foundation of a new sense of confidence in their ability and self worth. The recipient must meet all federal criteria for financial aid but does not have to be registered with the Selective Service.