The Forester Fund provides scholarship support with help from donors like you. Your donations provide support for a rigorous academic environment where students can achieve their fullest potential—students who will go on to ask tough questions, tackle challenges, and become leaders in their communities. Meet a few of the next generation of difference makers from Lake Forest College.
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Lake Forest College has always given me the resources I need to succeed. Whenever there has been an issue preventing me from reaching my goals, the College has always gone above and beyond to resolve those issues. I'm very thankful to be surrounded by faculty and staff members who really care about their students.
Oscar Ramos Flores '24, Niles Annual Nursing Scholarship
Major: Neuroscience
Please introduce yourself.
My name is Oscar Ramos-Flores and I'm in my final year here at Lake Forest College. I'm an immigrant from Mexico with DACA status and am also a first-generation college student. I was fortunate enough to receive the Niles Annual Nursing Scholarship the previous year as well as the Presidential Scholarship from Lake Forest College. Thanks to the help from generous donors as well as the College itself, I was able to pursue my interest in psychology research.
Have you had an amazing research, study abroad, and/or Chicago experience? Tell us about it!
I was fortunate enough to be accepted into Dr. Vivian Ta's Technology, Relationships, and Language research lab last year. My experience in this lab has been amazing as Dr. Ta gives us the freedom to involve ourselves in multiple different interesting projects. My two favorite research projects involve analysis of body cam footage from police officer and civilian interactions in Texas as well as a social media deep-dive that follows online public interactions with the war in Ukraine.
How are your future career plans being shaped now because of the financial support being provided by your scholarship donor?
Thanks to your financial support, I'm able to focus on classes without wondering how I'll be able to afford my education. In addition, knowing that there are people who want me to succeed has helped me to push myself further by considering medical school after graduating from Lake Forest College. I'm still unsure which path I would like to follow, but it's nice to know there are people who want me to succeed.
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There is nothing more rewarding than someone acknowledging your effort, and by receiving this scholarship, that acknowledgment is solidified. Knowing other people see the effort I put in daily to ensure everything I have committed to gets done, and see I am putting 100% into everything, means so much.
Chelsea Sinclair '26, Bruce R. Taylor '79 Annual Scholarship
Major: Communication
Minor: Business
Please introduce yourself.
My name is Chelsea Sinclair, I am a sophomore here at Lake Forest College, and I am from the small town of Salisbury, which is in the northwest corner of Connecticut. I live there with my sister, Cate, and my parents Tim and Danielle, who both happen to be Lake Forest College alumni. For high school, I went to a small boarding school in New York called Millbrook School, where I received high honor roll my senior year along with a Four-Year Varsity Letter Award for golf, and a Headmaster's Merit Award. Some of my hobbies include golf (I play at the College too!), and spending time with my family and friends.
What activities are you involved in at Lake Forest College or in your community and how has your involvement impacted you?
Here at Lake Forest College, I am involved in a few different organizations/groups on campus, and I am beyond grateful for everything each has given me. I am a member of the women's golf team, which has allowed me to meet my best friends here, has provided me such a strong support system on campus, has taught me discipline and teamwork, and helped me manage my time and workload along with being an athlete here at the College. In my position as a Student Ambassador on campus, I have been able to meet many prospective students, hear their stories and learn more about them,and why they are interested in Lake Forest, while showing them some of my favorite parts of being a student here. Similarly, being a Gummere Fellow, I not only get an opportunity to share my experiences and what I love about Lake Forest College with prospective families, but with friends and alumni of the College as well, and hear theirs in return.
Why did you choose to attend Lake Forest College?
As soon as I stepped foot on campus, I knew there was something different and something special about Lake Forest College. Although the campus was stunning, and the majors offered coincided with what I was looking for, what ultimately made my decision was the people I met and their attention to detail. People were so kind, held doors, smiled as we were on tour, and everyone I talked to was so attentive and it seemed as though they genuinely cared about whatever I was saying and did not make it seem like I was just another statistic. These things may seem small, but often times they speak the loudest volumes about the type of community they represent, and I knew I wanted to be a part of one like that
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When I received this scholarship, I was seriously beaming from ear to ear. I have worked extremely hard these past few semesters in numerous aspects, on the court, in the classroom and in the community, and therefore seeing your efforts rewarded pushes you to stay motivated and to work even harder.
Ethan Karabanow '26, Scott Fossel Endowed Scholarship
Majors: French and sociology and anthropology
Please introduce yourself.
My name is Ethan Karabanow and I am currently a sophomore from Halifax, Canada. I have declared a double major in both French and sociology and anthropology, and I am also a member of the men's basketball team and an Admissions Ambassador. My parents both live in Halifax, however my father is originally from California. I have a brother who is currently a sophomore at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Throughout the 2022-2023 school year, I was awarded Academic ALL-MWC and Dean's List. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family, friends and my dog, Berkeley, as well as hanging out on the beach.
Why did you choose to pursue your majors?
Being raised in Canada, the French language and culture has been prominent in my life. I attended a French immersion elementary and middle school, and instantly fell in love with learning the language and the cultural aspects as well. I have been very fortunate to explore areas in the world that speak French as their primary language, France and Quebec, and that has motivated me to improve my French speaking and understanding abilities. Ever since I was young I have been engrossed in the concepts behind human society and what makes it run the way it does. Social problems that have arose have always made me ponder about ways in which these issues can be resolved. In addition, my father works in social work and therefore I have been around the ideas and concepts behind sociology.
What activities are you involved in at Lake Forest College or in your community and how has your involvement impacted you?
Being a member of the men's basketball team has helped me develop further organization skills, as our schedule is quite busy. In addition, I have improved in my leadership skills, especially when we have younger guys on the team who are not as experienced. As an Admissions Ambassador, I have developed increased communication skills, as I often communicate with and encounter prospective students and their families. Encountering new students and families has also helped me go outside of my comfort zone and talk about subjects that I might not feel the most comfortable or confident with. For the past seven years, I have been a basketball coach for kids in my community of Halifax. As I look to work in the education industry down the road, communicating with the kids that I am working with, and understanding that every kid is different, has helped me build personal awareness.