Architecture students awarded 2025 UIC Kokkino Educational Fund Scholarship

UIC College of Architecture, Design, and the Arts students Gabija Gricius, Racheal Olujide and Toluwalogo Oluyede have been named the 2025 recipients of the UIC Kokkino Educational Fund Scholarship. All three students are pursuing a bachelor’s degree in architecture.

Gricius is a first‑year student who sees architecture as “a blend of STEM, the arts and the humanities, constantly shaping our world and our future.” Of her ambitions, she said, “Through sustainable design, I hope to address environmental challenges and support those in need.”

Oluyede and Olujide, both third‑year students, feel the scholarship’s significance as they approach their final year of undergraduate studies. Oluyede hopes to continue exploring her interests in urbanism by eventually pursuing a master’s degree in architecture at UIC.

As a repeat recipient of the award, Olujide said, “The Kokkino Scholarship has allowed me to pursue my academic and professional goals with greater ease. Knowing that others are invested in my success fills me with joy and confidence.”

A total of six Kokkino Educational Fund Scholarships have been awarded since the scholarship’s inception in the 2022‑2023 academic year.

“It’s great to have alumni offer support such as the Kokkino Scholarship, which directly connects our current students to the school’s and university’s legacy of broad access to higher education,” said David Brown, acting director of the School of Architecture.

Evangel Kokkino, a 1971 graduate of the School of Architecture, made the scholarship gift along with his daughter Sofia Kokkino Patton in memory of his mother. The fund is intended to support women and immigrant students who have financial need. Kokkino practiced architecture in Chicago, and his career has involved leading architecture and engineering practices locally and large capital programs and projects around the world. Kokkino serves on the President’s Council of the University of Illinois Foundation.

“Winning this scholarship means I have an opportunity to keep having fun in architecture,” Oluyede said. “What more can I ask for?”