We are excited to announce Pullman Scholar Alumna Pamela Bloomquist, Rockford College, 1974, as our Fourth Annual Pullman Scholar Symposium keynote speaker!

Pamela is the Assistant Dean, Admissions and Financial Aid at Loyola University Chicago School of Law and a very active volunteer with the Foundation. When the Foundation began planning the first Annual Pullman Scholar Symposium in 2014, she joined the planning committee and volunteered to be presenter for the financial literacy session for the incoming Pullman Scholars.

To many, she is one of the first Pullman Scholar Alumni they meet. Whether it be at their first Pullman Scholar Symposium or being interviewed to be a scholar during the application process, Pamela’s warm personality, knowledge, and passion for our mission show what it is like to be in the Pullman Scholar Community.

Join us at the Fourth Annual Pullman Scholar Symposium to hear Pamela’s take on our theme: Live Your Best Life.  It’s sure to be a great speech! Learn more about the symposium here.

Pam Bloomquist recently experienced a moment of Pullman Scholar serendipity. She is assistant dean of law admissions and financial assistance at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, and she and a longtime co-worker were riding the elevator together when Bloomquist happened to mention that she is a Pullman Scholar (’74). Her colleague’s eyes immediately widened and she exclaimed, “I’m a Pullman Scholar, too!” The two colleagues immediately began discussing how they could locate and interact with their fellow Pullman Scholars.

Bloomquist already had a history of supporting the Pullman Scholars who came after her. A long-time donor to the George M. Pullman Educational Foundation, she began serving on the Scholar Selection Committee in 2012. She says of this experience, “Pullman Scholars are not only selected on the basis of academic ability and financial need. They are chosen for their character traits as well. It’s a privilege to able to meet so many deserving young people.” (more…)