University Dedicates Scholarship For Law Student Killed Before Graduation

A new university scholarship was unveiled Jan. 22 at an event in memory of Chicago police officer and Loyola School of Law student Aréanah Preston, who was killed in 2023.

Distributions from the Aréanah Preston Memorial Scholarship will be used to provide full or partial scholarships to students enrolled in the School of Law, with preference for students who are members of the Chicago Police Department or are pursuing a masters of jurisprudence, according to the gift agreement. 

CPD didn’t respond to The Phoenix’s requests for comments.

According to Managing Director of Advancement at Loyola School of Law John Osterlund, the scholarship was made possible through a joint effort by the School of Law and the Peace for Preston foundation, a nonprofit organization created to serve Chicago’s youth and local communities in honor of Preston’s legacy. 

The organization was established by Preston’s family after the 24-year-old’s death, and raised the $100,000 endowment quota to create the scholarship.

Preston was fatally shot May 6, 2023, a couple of weeks before her graduation, by a group of teenagers while off duty, returning to her Avalon Park home. Four teenagers involved in the case were subsequently charged with first degree murder, according to ABC7.

“When Aréanah died so close to her graduation, the fact that her degree was awarded posthumously and her family walked across the stage really was such a tragedy,” Osterlund said.

Osterlund said he continues to stay in touch with the foundation more than one year after Preston’s death. He and the foundation collectively agreed the best way to preserve Preston’s memory was to have an endowed scholarship, which would provide a permanent source of aid for incoming students. 

The family’s goal was to strengthen the tie between the CPD and the School of Law, according to Osterlund.

Rather than waiting for it to raise money over the course of time, Alvin Rider, a friend of Preston’s mother and organizer of the Peace for Preston foundation, said the nonprofit raised money through social events and merchandise to meet their endowment goal.

“At one point, Al reached out and said, ‘You know what, the foundation is going to make a grant and we are ready to do this,.’” Osterlund said. “Of course I was thrilled.”

To carry on Preston’s legacy, Rider said he emphasized how meaningful her story was in fueling the nonprofit’s motivation.

Preston’s work ethic and ambition to advance in law enforcement are characteristics Rider said he hopes students who receive the scholarship will embody.

“We hope to help other police officers or first responders like Aréanah that will come through the program at the School of Law,” Rider said. “It was just amazing to watch her, that’s the kind of student she was, that’s the kind of person she was. We want to give that to some of the students that we engage with.”

Before her death, Preston was working on a project regarding legislation of assault weapons and was looking into working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to Rider. 

Preston’s mother Dionne Mhoon and Rider both credited Osterlund and the Dean of the School of Law, Michèle Alexandre, for the success of the program. Both donated $15,000 to the endowment, according to Rider. 

The scholarship was announced at a Jan. 22 unveiling event attended by Loyola President Mark Reed, Alexandre, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Illinois State Senator and School of Law graduate Elgie Sims, CPD Chief of Internal Affairs Yolanda Talley and Preston’s family and colleagues, according to a university press release.

Mhoon said the scholarship was “breathtaking” as it reflected Preston’s priorities of accomplishing goals and going further in education. She said the event was bittersweet, as she felt her daughter’s presence through the somber moments. She’s planning to attend the graduation of every scholarship recipient. 

“I’ve always been a hands-on parent,” Mhoon said. “I feel like a piece of her is walking across the stage with that person, that it’s part of that endowment and I want to make sure that I’m there to cheer them on.”

Mhoon said her daughter was a goal-oriented person who never stopped following her dreams.

“She had so many opportunities to stop, but she just kept pushing through, even I know in her last moment she pushed through,” Mhoon said. “So just keep pushing through and try to spread love.”

Mhoon said no parent should have to lose a child and then spend their life missing them and honoring their memory.

“I don’t know if there’s such a thing as a person making you so very proud in their death,” Mhoon said. “You pay attention to the things that you think were small, and now they seem so big.”

Through continuously awarding the scholarship over time, Osterlund said the endowment provides a real sense of permanence for both the legal community and the university. 

“It makes a statement about wanting to pay tribute to this young woman who was part of our community, part of Chicago, that tragically lost her life,” Osterlund said. “We want to honor her memory in this impactful way.”