The Springfield Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (SDCCW) has announced the recipients of its scholarships, awarding four college-bound women $2,000 each. The awards were presented at the Women of Distinction Mass on June 21, celebrated by Bishop Thomas John Paprocki at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield.

Hildi Niemerg, a graduate of Teutopolis High School and member of St. Isidore the Farmer Parish in Effingham County, will attend Quincy University to study Psychology and Theology. She expressed gratitude for the scholarship and anticipation for future opportunities.

Anna Thies, from Effingham High School and Sacred Heart Church in Effingham, plans to major in nursing at Eastern Illinois University. Inspired by her youngest brother's birth, she aspires to become an OB nurse.

Addison Paige Pranger is a graduate of Marquette Catholic High School in Alton and will join Saint Mary’s College's nursing program with a Presidential Scholarship. Active in various school activities and athletics, she also enjoys working as a lifeguard.

Jenna Fraley from Calhoun County will pursue Accounting and Agriculture Business at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Her work experience includes being a bank teller and farmhand on her grandfather's farm.