Eric Lymberopoulos

Eric Lymberopoulos

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JACKSONVILLE — Eric Lymberopoulos of Princeton, a freshman at Illinois College, has been chosen to participate in an innovative program that seeks to enhance the academic future for students who are the first members of their family to pursue a college degree.

Lymberopoulos is among a group of 22 Yates Fellows who began their college studies Sept. 1 on the campus of the liberal arts college in Jacksonville.

Lymberopoulos, a 2009 Princeton High School graduate, is the son of Michelle Lymberopoulos of Princeton.

The ground-breaking program is named for Richard Yates, an 1835 graduate of Illinois College who went on to serve as the governor of Illinois from 1861 to 1865. Yates was the first student to receive a bachelor’s degree from a four-year institution of higher learning in Illinois.

Illinois College in Jacksonville is one of 20 colleges and universities nationwide participating in the Walmart College Success Awards Program. Elizabeth Tobin, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college, said the $100,000 award used to implement the program was presented to institutions that have demonstrated a commitment to serving the needs of first-generation college students.