Support from Local Businesses Allows Chikmedia to Award Four Scholarships

SPRINGFIELD — Thanks to the generosity of a number of local businesses, Chikmedia is now offering four scholarships as part of its Chiks of the Future annual scholarship initiative. The application deadline is Saturday, May 1.

Chikmedia, a boutique firm offering strategic marketing planning and creative PR, has launched its annual scholarship to support future generations of marketing professionals. Chikmedia will now be offering four $500 scholarships in 2021 as Summerlin Floors, Ryan McCollum of RMC Strategies, and the Springfield Thunderbirds have decided to match this scholarship amount. These scholarships will be awarded to four deserving female high-school seniors or college students of color pursuing a degree in marketing, public relations, communications, or business.

In order to see individuals succeed, the community needs to help them grow from the beginning. Last year, in light of the Black Lives Matter movement, Chikmedia did a little digging into scholarship opportunities and found that Caucasian students received 72% of all scholarships, while minority students received only 28%. Although a $500 scholarship doesn’t close the large gap, the company wanted to do its part in expanding available opportunities. The community involvement from local businesses has been welcomed with open arms. Four recipients will now be awarded a scholarship thanks to these partners.

Completed scholarship applications and all support materials must be submitted to Chikmedia by May 1. Scholarship recipients will be notified by e-mail and then announced publicly during the first week of August. Applicants can find the guidelines and application form by clicking here.

“This is something we as a team are very passionate about,” said Meghan Rothschild, president of Chikmedia. “We started the scholarship to combat the racial injustices we saw in 2020 and plan to honor it every year. We cannot thank our partners enough; their generosity is humbling and overwhelming.”

Nathan Costa, president of the Springfield Thunderbirds, added that “it’s been our mission these past few months to stay connected with our community and to participate in meaningful programs that will have a positive impact. This scholarship fits perfectly into our foundation’s mission, and we couldn’t be happier to help support Chikmedia and Meghan, who has worked tirelessly to give back and help support the next generation of women-led businesses.”