2 young women overcome hardships, earn Bud Billiken Scholarships

For more than two decades, the Bud Billiken Scholarship has celebrated young people whose determination has carried them to college.

CBS News Chicago is a proud community partner of the event, and behind every scholarship, there's a story.

Two specific women who received the scholarship serve as proof that some of life's greatest hardships can become the foundation for extraordinary futures.

When Kaylin Stevens was 13, her mother, Stacey, died from a heart attack. Stevens said that loss changed her forever.

"You want to live your life, enjoying it, rather than stressing about what other people think," said Stevens.

Stevens said she is living the life lessons her mother taught her — compassion, kindness, and never taking the people she loves for granted. That sentiment was expressed in her essay when applying for the Chicago Defender Charities Bud Billiken Scholarship.

Stevens' application was successful, and she will receive $2,500 and will study marketing at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

"I'm doing pretty good for only being 17, so I believe she would tell me that she's proud of me," she said.

For scholarship recipient Zannia Prince, her greatest challenge wasn't losing someone she loved. It was learning to believe in herself.

"Being around positive people led me to have a better outlook on life," Prince said. "I feel like there's more to the world than just negativity, and just dealing with that burden of what I had when I was younger."

Born with craniofacial birth defects, Prince spent much of her childhood in hospitals, undergoing multiple surgeries.  Now, she'll study nursing at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina.

"I just want to also bring awareness to craniofacial abnormalities, giving back to nonprofits like My Face and American Cleft Lip Palate Association," said Prince, "and just overall, be the safe space for my patients when I'm older, and build their confidence too."

Chicago Defender Charities Program Manager Tiarya Pye said 65 students applied for the Chicago Defender Charities Bud Billiken Scholarship. Prince and Stevens are two of the 17 students chosen to receive $2,500 each.

"No matter what these young ladies have been through, they've always been leaders in their community," said Pye. "They've given back."

Stevens and Price are also two young women who are not letting life's challenges determine their future.