Student Spotlight: Breonca Hyles

Thursday night mentee Breonca “Bebe” Hyles is from the Cabrini Green neighborhood of Chicago. She has enjoyed the start of her junior year at Crane High School, but says it has been challenging with the added pressure of the ACT test. Her favorite subject is history, mainly because she has a good teacher, while her toughest subject is science, though she still enjoys it.

Her tip for 7th & 8th graders who will soon be freshman in high school is: “stay on track”/”don’t fall off.” It’s important to get off to a good start so you can maintain a good record throughout high school. The first class you take and the last class you take effect your GPA in the same way.

For college, Bebe knows one thing: “I want to go out-of-state.” She has always lived in Chicago and has not traveled much. She dreams of attending Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia. Ultimately she wants to go to medical school to become a pediatrician.

Bebe loves to work with kids and says the key to it is patience. She has five sisters (no brothers), three of whom are younger than her, which means she has learned a lot from helping to raise them.

Another place where Bebe is in many respects an elder is Cabrini Connections. Bebe is in her fifth year with the program after graduating from the old YMCA program as a 6th grader. “It doesn’t seem like so long,” she says with a laugh. Bebe likes Cabrini Connections because it allows her to meet new people and go places. She has taken advantage of many field trip opportunities such as last year’s trip to Northwestern University.

Bebe is now in her third year with mentor Shannon Murphy. “She’s like my best friend,” says Bebe. “I tell her everything.” One thing Shannon knows well is that Bebe likes to do hair. She has been doing it for eight years now and specializes in braiding. So if you need your hair done, you know who to go to! Thanks, Bebe! Good luck with the ACT!