Clinton Griffin of Girard awarded dual scholarships at the University of Illinois Springfield

Clinton Griffin, a resident of Girard and accountancy major at the University of Illinois Springfield, has been awarded the Joy Kimler CPA Accountancy Scholarship and the Michael and Pamela Luenz Scholarship for the 2018-2019 academic year.

Griffin, the youngest of five children, whose parents are deceased, decided early on he would not let anything stop him on his journey to higher education.

He enlisted in the United States Army after high school, and received his associate’s degree at a community college before coming to UIS.

“The professors in the accountancy department seem to care deeply about their students’ success with the program,” said Griffin. “I have witnessed many instances where they have gone above and beyond to explain something in many different ways, so that everyone understands it.”

Griffin said that in grade school teachers told him he had a natural talent for working with numbers.

“When you love numbers, they should be in your everyday life,” Griffin said. “What better way to have numbers all around you every day than to work in the accountancy field.”

Griffin plans to continue his education at UIS and obtain his accountancy master’s degree and become a certified CPA. His goal is to work for the Office of the Illinois Auditor General someday.

He is working full time while pursuing his bachelor’s degree.

“These scholarships have helped me by giving me the ability to work fewer hours and focus more on my studies,” said Griffin. The Joy Kimler CPA Accountancy Scholarship was established to benefit accounting majors who plan to complete the 150-semester hour education requirement to sit for the Uniform CPA Examination.

Michael F. and Pamela M. Luenz have generously supported many educational causes at UIS. The scholarship that bears their name was created for the College of Business and Management, where Michael is an alumnus.

For more information on scholarships, contact the UIS Office of Financial Assistance at 217/206-6724 or finaid@uis.edu.

For a full list of scholarship opportunities visit www.uis.edu/financialaid/scholarships/. The deadline to apply for institutional scholarships is February 15, 2019.

If you are interested in creating a scholarship, please contact the UIS Office of Advancement at 217/206-6058 or giftinfo@uis.edu.