Student Spotlight: Paris Lockett

Paris Lockett has always lived in Chicago and has always been a “good gal.” She’s outgoing and has a lot of friends; a personality she says she got from her father and grandmother. She has a large family: three sisters, one brother, two nieces, and one nephew. All her siblings are older, so she gets to learn from their mistakes, and her nieces and nephews are younger, so she constantly has somebody to play with.

Paris is a junior at Phoenix Military Academy. Going into high school, she thought it would be all segregated by groups, but, instead, she says, “We’re all like one big family.” She is in three clubs: acting club, book club, and the sisterhood program, which is an all-girls program designed to help teens support each other.

The future is bright for Paris. She has her plans all laid out. She wants to study biology at UIC or the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in order to become an obstetrician and gynecologist (OB/GYN). She witnessed her sister giving birth with a mean doctor, which inspired her to make it easy for women to give birth and to be compassionate.

After she establishes herself as a doctor, Paris would like to open her own hospital and others around the world. They will have all types of practices, but they will be most known for women’s health. “I want to be the CEO of everything,” she says flatly. One of her favorite quotes is from a teacher at her summer camp: “I am somebody. I’m on my way somewhere. I got something big to do. You don’t know who you’re standing next to.”

In her spare time, Paris likes to write, read, go to church, and hang out with her boyfriend Savon Clark. Savon is a four-year member of Cabrini Connections who recruited Paris to the program. So far, she says it is “excellent” and “is keeping me on track.” She meets with her mentor, Tiffany Smith, on Wednesday nights. “I love my tutor to death… Big thank you to my tutor!”

Paris is also a member of Writing Club, which meets on Wednesdays before tutoring from 5-6pm. “I really love that club,” she says. “We get to talk a lot and it makes my writing stronger.”

When she graduates high school, Paris will be taking a vacation to Paris! She has traveled a lot around the U.S., but she cannot wait to go overseas. Good luck reaching that goal and the many others you have. I hope we can help you achieve them!