The 2024-2025 Rusty Cohen Legacy Scholarship Application

The Rusty Cohen Legacy Scholarship Fund was created to honor Rusty Cohen, leader of Magid Glove & Safety, who passed away in 2020. The Fund aims to address the shortage of new safety professionals and support young adults looking to complete college.

Rusty was generous, smart, and funny. He listened carefully, remembered details about everyone's lives, and tried to make the world a little warmer each day. Rusty spent nearly 50 years helping companies keep their workers safe. He also worked hard to support young people who wanted to graduate from college.

The Rusty Cohen Legacy Scholarship will ensure young leaders from Chicagoland who are curious about different careers, such as those in Environmental Health and Safety (EHS), have the support and financial resources to pursue their dreams of going to and graduating from college.  It will also raise awareness regarding EHS careers, a field which is currently experiencing a shortage of qualified safety professionals. The award provides four years of financial support, including a one-time $1000 stipend for recipients who study abroad, and access to a summer internship after the recipient's first year of college.

Eligible students must be seniors in high school and current participants in the Chicago Scholars program. Eligible students must have a GPA of at least 3.0, a good attendance record, and demonstrate interest in the field of environmental health and safety or other business-related professions. The scholarship will support students focusing on engineering, human resources, finance, technology, marketing, communications, etc. and all students interested are welcome to apply. To learn more about safety careers, please review the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) career brochure:  https://fliphtml5.com/ctozo/wlcq.

Want to learn more? 
Check out this short video, featuring Chicago Scholars who have received the Rusty Cohen Legacy Scholarship!

AND: Join Magid Glove and Safety for a fun and interactive event on February 25th, 2025 that will introduce you to the rewarding field of Environmental Health & Safety (EHS), as well as other exciting careers. It's also a great opportunity to learn about the scholarship as you prepare your application!

Register: https://give.chicagoscholars.org/magid2025

The Application Process
ELIGIBILITY and REQUIREMENTS
  • Current participant in the Chicago Scholars program
  • Graduating high school senior with an unweighted GPA of 3.0 or higher
  • Interest in learning about the field of environmental health and safety
  • Seeking a bachelor's degree from an accredited U.S. four-year college or university on a full-time basis
  • Demonstrated financial need

AWARD
  • $5,000/year for 4 years

APPLICATION PROCESS

Step 1:  Complete the CS Scholarship Pre-Application by April 1, 2025.  The pre-application only needs to be completed once and can apply to multiple CS scholarships.

Step 2:  Complete this application by April 1, 2025 (11:59pm) including:
  • Essay of no more than 750 words articulating why you are applying for the Rusty Cohen Legacy Scholarship and how the funds will help you achieve your goals for the future.  
  • At least one but no more than two letters of recommendation from a counselor, principal, teacher, mentor, or employer. 

INTERVIEW PROCESS AND SELECTION
  • Applicants will be notified of their status by mid-April, 2025, with a request for an interview if accepted into the second round. During interviews, students will be asked to share their goals for the future and how this scholarship will allow them to achieve these goals. The student selected for the scholarship will be notified by late April, 2025.
Before you begin the application:
Please ensure that you have the necessary documents available to you and ready to upload.  You will NOT be able to save and resume your work on the application, so you will need to submit in one sitting.

Remember, Chicago Scholars is here for you!  If you have any questions regarding the scholarship application process or need assistance along the way, please contact us at: scholarships@chicagoscholars.org.





Format should be (xxx) xxx-xxxx

The CS Scholarship Pre-Application only needs to be completed once and can apply to multiple CS scholarships.
School and Program Information

Check all that apply (hold Ctr+ click to select multiple options).



Student Essay
The Rusty Cohen Legacy Scholarship Fund will ensure young leaders from Chicagoland who are curious about different careers, such as those in environmental health and safety (EHS) or other business-related professions, have the support and financial resources to pursue their dreams of going to and graduating from college. It will also raise awareness regarding EHS careers, a field which is currently experiencing a shortage of qualified safety professionals.

In 750 words or less, share why you are applying for the Rusty Cohen Legacy Scholarship and how the funds will help you achieve your goals. 

As you develop your response, please review the scholarship fund's mission, stated in the application introduction, and explain how it relates to your experience and goals.

Letter(s) of Recommendation
  • Please submit at least one but no more than two letters of recommendation from a counselor, principal, teacher, mentor, or employer.
  • If your recommender(s) would feel more comfortable emailing their letter(s) directly to Chicago Scholars, they may email them to scholarships@chicagoscholars.org with the subject line: "Rusty Cohen Legacy Scholarship recommendation--[applicant name]."  In this case, the applicant must upload a document in the space below stating: "My letter of recommendation is being emailed to CS Scholarships from [recommender name], who can be reached at [recommender email]."





The CS Scholarship Pre-Application only needs to be completed once and can apply to multiple CS scholarships.