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Ollie Scholarship

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Reginald L. Ollie Scholarship

The BOMA/Chicago Foundation's Reginald L. Ollie Scholarship (Ollie Scholarship) covers the $10,000 tuition for the Real Property Administrator (RPA) designation. This scholarship is awarded to individuals who have overcome personal or professional challenges and demonstrate a strong commitment to advancing their careers in the commercial real estate industry.

Recipients are honored at the annual Diversity Celebration fundraiser and are also paired with an experienced CRE mentor to gain one-on-one assistance with career planning and development.

2025 Ollie Scholarship Application Season

Ollie Scholarship Applications:  Applications for the 2025 Ollie Scholarship will open in November and will be due in February 2025.

Please Contact Us If You Will Apply: If you plan to apply for this scholarship for the 2025 season, please email Jaclynne Madden or call (312) 870-9608 so that we can discuss the application process and requirements.

Ollie Scholarship Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

  • Applicants must have 24 months of commercial real estate experience by March 2025. The experience must specifically be in a commercial real estate property management role (residential and retail experience does not count toward the 24 months).
    • *Internships may be eligible to count toward the 24 months of experience. Please see the below note.
    • Please contact Jaclynne Madden at jmadden@bomachicago.org if you have questions about your eligibility.
  • Applicants must be at least 21 years old.
  • Applicants do NOT have to be a BOMA/Chicago member.
  • Applicants must have taken three or less RPA/FMA designation classes prior to applying for the scholarship.
  • Applicants must have completed at least one year of college level courses at a college/university and earned a GPA of 2.5/4.0 or 3.5/5.
  • Applicants must be able to describe personal and/or professional challenges to entering or growing within the commercial real estate industry.

*Internship Experience Requirements

If you have completed a commercial real estate internship, you may apply to have the time spent in the internship count towards the required 24 months of experience. The internship experience must be focused on commercial real estate property management (residential and retail experience does not count). Along with your application, please include one document that describes:

  1. Timeframe: Indicate the dates of your internship(s).
  2. Number of Hours: Indicate the number of hours for each internship and whether the internships were full-time or part-time.
  3. Responsibilities: Describe your internship responsibilities and the skills you acquired.

The Foundation's Scholarship Committee or other appropriate body will determine whether an internship may count toward the required experience by comparing its length, contiguousness, recentness, and scope of work to typical full-time work experience. Applicants may be required to submit additional material to aid in this evaluation.

Reggie Ollie Biography and Blog Article

Read Reggie Ollie's biography here. Make sure to also read a great and informative blog article about the scholarship and the value of mentorships in CRE.

Previous Ollie Scholarship Recipients

2024: Zachary Thomas, EQ Office
2023: Eddie Correa, Zeller
2022: Daja Walker-Parker, JLL; earned RPA in 2024
2021: Jose Bahena, JLL
2020: Vivian Orozco, Sterling Bay; earned RPA in 2021
2019: Karen Le, CBRE; earned RPA in 2022
2018: Christina McInerney, Cushman & Wakefield; earned RPA in 2020
2017: Lily Leon; earned her RPA in 2019
2016: Ebony Andry; earned her RPA in 2018
2016: Dominique Garrett-Flowers
2015: Shenica Collins and Marissa Rosado
2014: Yordanos Ghdey and Angela Oh; earned their RPAs in 2016
2013: Kristine Sorenson; earned her RPA in 2014
2011: Marisol Olvera
2010: Dina Wagner and Rosalia Leal
2009: Carlos Chavez
2008: Jennifer Majerus; earned her RPA in 2013
2007: Angel Brown; earned her RPA in 2010
2006: Myrna Agosto

Ollie Scholar Winners - 2023 (1)