CS student is first UIC recipient of UI Foundation’s “Foundation To Success” scholarship
CS student is first UIC recipient of UI Foundation’s “Foundation To Success” scholarship Heading link
Freshman Mascis Larson had no idea when he committed to UIC as a computer science major that a life-changing scholarship was in his future. He and his family had secured student loans for him to attend this academic year.
Just a few weeks into the semester, Larson learned that he was the first UIC recipient of the Foundation To Success Scholarship, which supports one student from each university in the UI System annually.
In 2023, the University of Illinois Foundation established the initiative, which supports the university’s mission of transforming lives and serving society. The Foundation has secured gifts for the endowment with a fundraising goal of $1.25 million.
James Moore, president and CEO of the University of Illinois Foundation, says scholarships can be the catalyst of transformation for Illinois students.
“Working with donors on this collaborative effort is helping make the dream of a University of Illinois education a reality,” Moore said.
Larson was selected for his history of leadership and volunteerism by UIC’s Student Financial Aid and Scholarships office because of his demonstrated leadership, volunteering, and an internship at Illinois Tech.
He attended Lane Tech College Prep High School in Chicago and was active on his high school robotics team. He joined his senior year, initially planning on using his skills as a programmer to help the team, but instead took on whatever tasks were asked of him. He selected which student would drive the competition robot.
Before joining UIC, Larson participated in a virtual online internship through Illinois Tech. The program was international, so Larson marshaled people in different time zones to work on cybersecurity projects.
Larson has been interested in software engineering since he was young.
“Something very much appeals to me about taking a problem and solving it, it’s a nice sense of accomplishment to see the results of your work,” Larson said.
Here at UIC, Larson is a member of the Social Gaming Club and UIC’s chapter of Students for a Democratic Society.
Larson hopes to graduate in three years and was pleased that UIC worked with him to create a course timeline that will allow him to accomplish this goal. He plans to use winter break to focus on finding an external internship, and on applying to the College of Engineering’s Guaranteed Paid Internship Program (GPIP). The GPIP program and UIC’s proximity to downtown also factored into his decision to attend UIC.
Larson, University of Illinois Springfield freshman Charles Serrahn, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign freshman Alex Gorczowski were officially announced as winners at the Foundation’s annual meeting on November 14.
“This scholarship is just a massive weight off me and my family,” Larson said. “We won’t be looking at this scary amount of debt for an education.”
The Foundation To Success scholarship is renewable for three years.
For information on contributing to the scholarship fund, contact the Office of Gift Planning & Trust Services at gpinfo@uif.uillinois.edu or (217) 244‑0473.