Believe. A common word used unnoticeably almost daily, but when capitalized at the second E means so much more.
Eve Fries was a student at DePaul Prep, a part of the 2022 class. At age 16 Eve was diagnosed with an aggressive and rare form of brain cancer and would later pass in August of 2022 just before turning 18. In memory of her, parents Kurt and Debby Fries created a scholarship titled “beliEve”.
The beliEve scholarship was created in 2022 shortly after Eve had passed. The initial idea for this scholarship was created in the image of Eve herself. Parents, Debby and Kurt Fries wanted a way to impact students while also keeping Eves spirit alive.
Eve was a daughter, a sister, an athlete, and a friend to all. Her unique soul was used to impact those around her and initiate a sense of belonging in everyone.
Mother of Eve, Debby Fries stated, “Eve was a very vibrant, fun loving teenager…She was a kind friend, a loving teenager, just all these very full of life fun things” she says, “She was very giving and very loving, and very excited for the future and life.”
Keeping those attributes in mind, the scholarship was tailored towards Eves core values.
The scholarship began when Debby and Kurt brought it to DePaul Prep’s attention, sharing that they wanted a way to keep Eve’s memory alive while also impacting another student.
“Any way that we can keep her memory alive is soothing and comforting for us” Fries stated, “It’s even more so inspiring when it can be used to help other kids.”
The logistics of this project began when Debby and Kurt planned out the criteria of the scholarship, honing in on the type of person that they were looking for.
“We’re definitely looking for somebody who is a good student and takes their education seriously, but that’s not the only thing. We’re looking for someone who is well rounded, who is involved in their community, a kind soul to others, and who is trying to make the world a better place.”
Once they established their principle for the scholarship, they met with DePaul to help brainstorm which grade level it would be presented to and how it would financially benefit the recipient. Eventually, they landed on awarding a $2,000 fund to a chosen rising senior
“We ended up deciding that as a junior you already know how a student is doing, what they’re becoming, and what they’re about. So we thought making a scholarship for a junior was a great idea to get a sense of that person and then also have them carry this funding into their senior year especially as kids are starting to think about colleges,” Fries stated.
Amy Golden, Director of Institutional advancement and valuable contributor to the creation of the scholarship, shares the criteria of the scholarship and how what is sought out in a candidate in terms of reflecting Eve.
Golden states, “Criteria wise, we talk about a person who believes in the power of supporting others, believes in the community, inspires not only themselves but those around them, a positive leader and a teammate across the board, and a person with a servants heart, drawn to acts of giving back and striving for the best potential in their own life.”
Students are presented with this opportunity at the end of their junior year, giving them a chance to apply and put it towards their tuition for senior year. Students are required to write an essay that connects their life to the way that Eve lived hers.
“We ask each of the students to write an essay and we talk a lot about wanting to hear how the individual would compare their own life, beliefs, their own faith in similar ways that Eve lived her life,” said Golden.
Golden acknowledges the impact that this scholarship has on seniors, as it gives them an opportunity to receive grants later in their highschool career and acknowledge opportunities that they may have missed out on in the beginning stages of high school.
“I think from a perspective of the scholarship itself, it’s not often that rising seniors are able to apply for a scholarship that’s going to help them their senior year,” said Golden, “So many of our scholarships start freshman year so to have this new opportunity going into senior year is so impactful.”
Dominic Maino, class of 2024, was the 2023 junior selected as the recipient. He shares the steps he took during this application process and how it benefited him as a rising senior.
Maino said, “I first heard about this scholarship over the announcements around this time of last year. I was initially interested in it but I wasn’t sure I’d win it. It was my parents who really pushed me to apply because they thought I would be a good fit”
Although hesitant at first, Maino chose to apply. He took time to form a well constructed essay that connected his life and service to Eve’s core values.
“I first started writing my essay and it took me a few days. I ran it by everyone I knew. Parents, teachers, friends, and counselors. After a few weeks I was excited to see that I got an email from Ms.Golden to be interviewed by her and Ms.Dempsey,” Maino stated.
Additionally, Maino shared the impact that this scholarship had on him. Not only giving him money to continue his academic and social career at DePaul Prep, but also allowing him to reflect on himself and his own personal values.
“Without this scholarship it would have been a lot harder for me to stay at [DePaul Prep] and continue building my sense of community,” Maino stated, “that was something super meaningful to me”
Maino continued on this idea stating, “[This scholarship] helped me realize what I wanted to do in college because I was able to recognize things about myself and what I’m interested in. It was a big process of self reflection.”
Not only was Maino able to learn more about himself but he was also able to learn more about Eve and who she was as a person. With Eve being in the class of 2022 and Dominic in the class of 2024, he never met her and had no perception of her as a person. The beliEve scholarship made Eve’s name more familiar to him and others.
Maino stated, “I was able to hear stories about her being a good teammate and friend and it helped me connect to her, community is a really big value to me.”
Fries shares the attributes of Maino’s essay that stood out, causing him to be chosen as the recipient.
“With Dominic he seemed like kind of an unsung hero, someone that was doing things behind the scenes,” Fries states, “What I really enjoyed too was that he was helping out at the YMCA and he was working with kids, that he was a good student and that he was terrific, and I thought that was terrific.”
Fries adds, “He was just a kind grounded kid, his writing was great you could just tell that he had the heart for what the scholarship meant and was living it.”
Aside from the recipient, the beliEve scholarship is intended to impact the community as a whole in DePaul Prep and elsewhere, honoring her memory and shedding light on her name for those who may not know much about her.
Golden states, “The essays are powerful and they really speak to each of the students and who they are and what they believe in, so many of them speak back to what they’ve learned about Eve and who she was.”
Golden continues this message, sharing her experience being a part of this process and what it has meant for her.
“I think it’s incredible on so many fronts, it’s really impactful,” Golden stated, “Working with [Debby] and [Kurt] has really meant to much to me I feel like I’ve really gotten to know both of them even more than I would have before and really gotten to know so much about Eve too, that has truly been a special process to me”
Touching on her viewpoint from a faculty perspective, Golden shares how touched she is to see the impact that this scholarship has had on students and Eve’s memory so soon into its establishment.
Golden said, “The impact and the intent of wanting to honor Eve’s legacy and her memory, I’ve been touched and impressed and humbled by our students.”
But this is just the beginning, as this scholarship gains more recognition, Fries encourages other students to apply and take advantage of this unique and powerful opportunity.
Fries stated, “What’s cool about it is you’re able to reflect on yourself, and its not about being baggy or boasting, but you’re able to go inside and say do I have these qualities, do I have the integrity and the compassion to willingly help make the world a better place.”
Fries also mentions that it can also serve as an outlet for a student to recognize all that they’ve accomplished and give themselves credit.
“Once you start writing it’s cool to say ‘Yeah I’m a pretty cool kid and I’m doing good’ so I would encourage kids to even just take the time to write something authentically and realize what they’re doing right.”
With change and loss sparks new beginnings, Eve’s life was short numerically but her legacy and impact will be everlasting. This opportunity allows students to share that legacy, not just as one, but as a community. Just as Eve would have wanted.
