Chicago Scholars

This year, with the We're Everywhere Campaign, we've been highlighting some of our incredible Alumni working in Chicago, nationwide, and around the world, all of whom are breaking barriers in their fields and uplifting their communities. With the holiday season quickly approaching, we're looking towards our year-end giving campaign, in which we're we'll be highlighting one of our Alums, who is doing exceptional work in their community! Stay tuned for the reveal, and to hear their incredible story. In the meantime, you can help get our year-end campaign started off right by donating here to help us reach our goal before the end of the calendar year: https://bit.ly/4fDF6RL ❄️

When we say our volunteers help make our work possible, we mean it - without volunteers like Jennifer, who has been showing up to our Scholar events since 2017, and has been a CS Mentor since 2018, our small but mighty Dream Team wouldn't be able to build the incredible and lasting relationships Scholars have with our organization. We're so thankful for our volunteers, from those who just had their first Onsite experience with us, all the way to those that have been with us since the beginning! Our next big volunteer opportunity will take place in April with New Scholar Selection Days, so stay tuned for the sign up links, coming soon!

For Daniel R Jackson, M.Ed., Alum from the Chicago Scholars Class of 2018, being a changemaker in Chicago has always been a huge part of his identity. Currently serving as President of the Tie Tuesday Foundation, Inc. and working as a Second Grade Teacher at Dixon Elementary School, he consistently works towards building the confidence and growth of the city's youth. "Being from Chicago means being part of a vibrant, resilient, and diverse community. It means carrying the pride of a city rich in culture and history, and using my experiences to inspire and uplift others. It also means being committed to making a positive impact in my community and beyond." To read Daniel's full interview, and meet some of our other incredible Alumni, head to https://lnkd.in/g6rhk_Hw

Last week, we held our very first Reach for the Future Celebration, benefitting the Onsite College and Leadership Forum - and we're so incredibly thankful to our amazing Chicago Scholars community for coming out to support our Scholars. In just one night, we were able to raise more than $100,000, all of which will go towards continuing our life-changing work. Thank you so much to everyone who showed up for our Scholars last week!

Congratulations to Alum Lillian Holden and Openlands for this win at the Chicago Innovation Awards!

Congratulations to the REACH Pathways team! Congrats also to CS Alum Myles Gage (Class of 2016, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) and the rest of the Rapunzl - Learn. Trade. Win. team for their Chicago Innovation Award main category win!

Calling all college Sophomores and Juniors! Looking for an exciting paid internship opportunity this summer, where you'll not only be matched to an incredible company or organization, but you'll also expand your network, attend weekly professional development sessions, and learn real-world skills? Look no further than our Emerge Career & Leadership Program! Join us TONIGHT for a virtual informational session from 6 to 7 p.m. CST - sign up here: https://lnkd.in/gFDwRetw

When Daniela V. Fernandez, member of the Chicago Scholars Class of 2015, founded Sustainable Ocean Alliance, she was just 19 and in her freshman year at Georgetown University. "The mission of the organization is to empower people globally to build solutions for the ocean. Just to give a little bit more context, we have the world’s largest network of young ocean leaders. We have young people in 168 countries working on different ocean solutions." She got her start at Chicago Scholars with an abundance of support, from her Mentors, CS staff, and even the Chicago Scholars Founder, Tim Schwertfeger, who she still has regular calls with. Her advice to current Scholars is to leverage the extensive network of people involved with the organization, and to build relationships with those in the program. To check out Daniela's full interview, and hear the stories of many of our other Alumni, head here: https://lnkd.in/g6rhk_Hw

"As a future first-generation college student, I strongly desire to become a role model for my younger sister, who will apply to college in four years. She’s entering high school next year, and I want to show her that it’s possible to achieve our dreams despite the challenges. Being a first-generation college student allows me to break the cycle of generational trauma where no one in my family has gone to college." - Enrique Camacho, Scholar Ambassador, CS Class of 2029 To continue our celebration of National First Generation Day, we asked some of our Scholar Ambassadors about their experience as future first gen college students, what challenges they've faced so far as the first in their families to pursue college, and what they're looking forward to. Head here to read the full post from Ambassadors Wisdom May and Enrique Camacho: https://bit.ly/4fiDXPt