As the Illinois Chapter of the CCIM Institute gathered for its annual CCIM/Rho Epsilon Networking and Scholarship event last week in Urbana, REALTORS® and affiliate members of local Illinois REALTOR® associations were on hand to show their support, too.

Logan Walker, a second-year graduate student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign was presented with the John Keepper Society Scholarship at the Business Instructional Facility of the Gies School of Business at the University of Illinois.

“We are proud to award Logan Walker with the John Keepper Society Scholarship,” said CCIM Chapter President Ken Robberechts, also an affiliate member of the Chicago Association of REALTORS®. “One of the core initiatives of our chapter is to assist in the development of future leaders within the commercial real estate industry. Logan is well on his path towards achieving great things, and we look forward to seeing his future progression.”

Walker is working towards a joint degree: Master of Architecture Real Estate Development and Master of Business Administration. He is also the president of the Rho-Epsilon student real estate association on campus. To Walker, this isn’t just a career he is building, it’s a passion. One of the key drivers to this is his excitement to rise to a challenge.

“What excites me the most in this field, is taking on the challenges with persistence and determination to bring an extraordinary vision to life,” Walker said. “In this field, you can leave such a lasting impact.”

Champaign-area REALTOR® Alex Ruggieri of SVN-Ramshaw Real Estate interviewed Robberechts and Walker on his “Central Illinois Business” show on WDWS-AM radio in Champaign.  Ruggieri, who is a contributor the Illinois REALTOR® magazine, said, “It was a pleasure talking about the industry with such high-caliber leaders in the field.” You can listen to the first and and second segments of the interview here.

Like CCIM, the Illinois Real Estate Educational Foundation (REEF), a non-profit organization supported by industry volunteers and contributions offers several annual scholarships to present and future real estate practitioners. For example, Illinois REALTOR® members can apply for the REEF Past Presidents Scholarship to help pursue one of several professional designations, including the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM). The application deadline is Oct. 1.

Metro East REALTOR® Judy Doyle, 2019 REEF president, says, “We want to support the entire industry, which is why we provide several opportunities for scholarships for those with commercial aspirations.” For example, the Academic Scholarship is for qualified students interested in attending an accredited college or university in Illinois to pursue a real estate career.  The Thomas F. Seay Scholarship can help qualified students pursue a real estate career through any accredited college or university in the United States. The Richard Wiegers Scholarship is for Illinois residents who want to study business, law or finance at any college or university in Illinois. All three scholarships have April 1 application deadlines. More information can be found about these scholarships on the REEF website.