The Chicago Automobile Trade Association in May presented the 2020 Spirit of Carol Cooling Scholarship to a graduating senior at a northwest suburban high school. Kathryn Costello received a $1,000 grant to put toward future studies.
 
The CATA established the scholarship in 2014 to honor Cooling, an alumna of John Hersey High School, in Arlington Heights, and a longtime special events director at NBC 5 Chicago who succumbed to cancer in 2013. As owner of the Chicago Auto Show, the CATA worked closely with Cooling to produce live TV auto show specials, many of which won Emmy Awards.
 
"What better way to pay tribute to a remarkable woman than to have her legacy live on through a scholarship program that helps young students further their education to set them up for success," said David Sloan, CATA president and Chicago Auto Show general manager. "John Webb, our board chairman at the time, presented this wonderful idea to honor our friend Carol."
 
The Hersey High School scholarship committee selected Costello as the recipient of the Spirit of Carol Cooling Scholarship because she embodies many of the characteristics also used to describe Cooling. Attributions such as "determined, mature, energetic, positive and motivated" are commonly used by Costello’s teachers and peers.
 
Hersey Assistant Principal John Novak said that Costello was an "exceptional choice for the award" as she’s heavily involved in a number of activities both inside and outside of school.
 
"We are very excited to have Kathryn Costello chosen as this year’s recipient of the Spirit of Carol Cooling Scholarship," Novak said. "Kathryn’s energy and spirit are what sets her apart from her peers. She performed hundreds of service work hours through our ‘Service Over Self’ program, all while taking a very solid academic schedule."
 
Costello graduated from Hersey High School with a highest honors distinction. She will apply her scholarship money to her education beginning this fall at the University of Colorado Boulder. Costello intends to study neuroscience, specifically the adolescent brain.
 
"I’m extremely grateful to receive this award, not only to further my college education but also to continue the spirit of Carol Cooling," Costello said. "Carol was a person of positivity, and I think as we face a difficult time, it’s important to grasp onto positivity.
 
"Even in what seems to be powerless situations, we always have power over one thing: our emotions. Our attitudes, our thoughts, our feelings are all choices, so why not choose to be positive, choose to be hopeful?"
 
The CATA will fund the scholarship at Hersey through 2024.