DePaul University College Visit

CPS students did not have school on Monday (Columbus Day), so some of them chose to go to college instead! Yesterday I had the pleasure of leading 10 students from Cabrini Connections on a field trip to DePaul University in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago. This trip, like the one to Northwestern in September, is part of our College Application Assistance Program (a.k.a. the "College Zone"). Each one of our students meets with a College Zone Coordinator at least once per quarter to discuss post-secondary plans. Though, for some, college is many years away, they are learning about what it takes to get into college - they begin to understand what kind of GPA they need to maintain, what kind of ACT score they should shoot for, and how much scholarship money they may need.

Our visit to DePaul began in the school's Student Center. Chartwells Dining Services was kind enough to treat our students to free lunch in the Center's Cafeteria, which features several different made-to-order food stations. Needless to say, they came away happy. Special thanks to Stephanie Moye for her help!

After lunch it was time for an information session followed by a campus tour. DePaul is known as one of the best schools in Chicago and it certainly showed. DePaul has more than 15,000 undergraduate students, nearly 250 student organizations, and its athletics compete in the BIG EAST conference. The average high school GPA of admitted students is 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and their average ACT Composite is between 22 and 27 (middle 50% score range). Also, in 2009, the Princeton Review ranked DePaul No. 10 in the Diverse Student Population category, making the sixth consecutive year that DePaul has been ranked in the nation's top 20.

Our campus tour took us from the Student Center, to the Academic Center, inside a dormitory (left), through The DePaul Quad, to the library, and, finally, to the Fitness and Recreation Center. As I walked around, it was great to hear some of the students who went on the Northwestern trip comparing the two universities (e.g. the sample dorm was nicer and larger at DePaul, but Northwestern has a more spacious campus). This is part of the goal for these trips: to answer the questions, what does college look like, and, most importantly, what does your college look like? Where do you imagine yourself going to school? So it isn't necessarily about visiting DePaul per se. It's about visiting college, of which DePaul is an easily accessible example.

Thank you for welcoming us, DePaul! I look forward to seeing some of our students becomes yours!

Volunteer Spotlight: Rajul Shah

Native Chicagoan Rajul Shah has been volunteering with Cabrini Connections since January of this year. He was introduced to our program by his wife, veteran volunteer Molly Shah. Rajul and Molly met in college at Rice University in Houston, Texas, where Rajul studied economics. After college, he and Molly moved to Washington, D.C., for four years, before returing to Chicago in 2006. Coincidentally, their parents live just 15 minutes away from each other in the Chicagoland area, making the decision to move back an even easier one.

Rajul used to work serious hours (80 per week!) for a private equity firm; however, he got tired of the corporate world and decided to go into a brief retirement. Thus, since October, Rajul has been simply "livin' the good life." He likes to play sports such as baseball, golf, basketball, and tennis. He also likes to travel. Rajul has been to India, Japan, Indonesia, New Zealand, all over Europe, the Caribbean, and to Bora Bora for his honeymoon. In college, he studied abroad in Austrailia and this fall he is taking some of his friends to Puerto Rico for his birthday. He's a regular globetrotter!

Rajul doesn't plan to stay retired forever, though. He would like to start his own business offering advisory services to smaller corporations trying to make it in the larger corporate world. "I just want to do my own things," he says, which is great. Rajul is proof that you can "do your own thing" one day, but it takes a lot of time and hard work to earn that opportunity.

Someone who's already starting to see the value of hard work is Josue Roque, Rajul's mentee. Josue, currently an 8th grader at Ruben Salazar, is working to get into a top Chicago high school like Whitney Young, Lane Tech, or Jones College Prep. He and Rajul will be meeting in the College Zone to prepare him for the selective enrollment examination in December. That's right; our College Zone helps with high school admissions, too!

Rajul and Josue met several times over the summer to have lunch and catch up. Josue appreciates having an outside perspective - a mentor - to talk to. Rajul facilitated their open relationship by himself being very open when they first met. Now they get along really well... and Josue always brings his homework. Rajul had him calculate how many points he could accumulate over the next six years and it translated to hundreds of dollars! But while money was the initial incentive, now it's just a habit. Great idea, Rajul!

Congratulations on being in the spotlight! We appreciate your commitment to the program!

Student Spotlight: Jocelyn Jones

Jocelyn Jones, a resident of Humboldt Park, is a 7th grader at Newberry Academy. She came to Cabrini Connections from Cabrini Green Tutoring Program, our sister program in Lincoln Park that provides after-school tutoring to 1st-6th graders. Jocelyn likes our program because you can come every day... and she almost does! She's here on Monday night for Art Club, Wednesday night for Writing Club, and Thursday night for one-on-one tutoring and mentoring.

In Art Club, Jocelyn has been using watercolors to create pictures of Chicago; in Writing Club she has been working on vision boards for our 2009-2010 theme (Hope, Build, Believe, and Achieve); and at tutoring she has been getting to know her new mentor, Angie Berthelsen.

Jocelyn's favorite subjects in school are math and social studies. In social studies she has been learning about U.S. expansionism, including the Louisiana Purchase and the Texas Annexation. Jocelyn plays basketball, soccer, and is on student council at Newberry Academy. As she approaches the end of elementary school, Jocelyn has her sights set on admittance to one of Chicago's top high schools, such as Whitney Young, Walter Payton, Jones, Lane Tech, or Lincoln Park. But she's not stopping there. For college, Jocelyn would like to go to DePaul, Northwestern, UIC, or Loyola.

After that it may be on to medical school. Jocelyn wants to be a doctor when she grows up; either a veterinarian or a pediatrician. She also dreams of being a fashion designer.

Jocelyn likes to travel, too. She has been to California and Las Vegas to visit her family, but she would love to go to some place overseas, like Tokyo or Hong Kong. Perhaps a study abroad program in college will make her dreams come true!

In whatever Jocelyn decides to do, we know that she will be successful. We look forward to being a part of that success over the next six years and beyond. Congratulations on being in the spotlight, Jocelyn!

2009-2010 Youth Leadership Council

Congratulations to the following six students who were elected to the 2009-2010 Youth Leadership Council!

Savon Clark
9th grader at Lindblom
third year in the program

Israel Dosie
7th grader at Andersen
first year in the program

De'Sean Hale
12th grader at Wells
fifth year in the program

Sean Mayfield
9th grader at Rauner
third year in the program

Victoria Rivera
11th grader at Lincoln Park
fourth year in the program

Ashaunti Roby
9th grader at Providence St. Mel
third year in the program

The Youth Leadership Council will meet biweekly to discuss policies and procedures at Cabrini Connections. The Council may influence field trip destinations, the tutoring schedule, the points system, and more. They will also devise strategies to increase youth involvement and attendance (particularly in Winter months). I'm eager to see what they come up with!

Northwestern University College Visit

Last Friday, EL Da' Sheon and I escorted 10 students from Cabrini Connections to Northwestern University for a college visit! As part of our College Application Assistance Program - better known in our center as the College Zone - we offer free trips to Chicago-area colleges. In the past we have visited places like DePaul University, Illinois Institute of Technology, and Westwood College, however, this visit held special significance. I am the third NUPIP Fellow at Cabrini Connections; EL Da' Sheon went to Northwestern; and we have 12 mentors who are alumni of Northwestern. All of us cherish our time spent at NU, so it was an honor to share the Evanston Campus with prospective students from our program.

Our visit started at Allison Hall dining room where Sodexo food services was kind enough to allow us free entry! The environment was both exciting and overwhelming, with NU students everywhere and countless food options to choose from. Our students gradually got the hang of it, though, and soon their trays were piled high with fresh food.

We sat down to eat with students from Promote 360, a student group in the School of Education and Social Policy that empowers and supports minority students. It truly was a humbling moment to see so many of my friends turn out. Thank you for supporting what I do; and special thanks to my friend Candise Hill for organizing the P360 group, to ASG President Mike McGee for attending, and to Ms. Doris Timmen from Sodexo for welcoming us with open arms! Lunch was the highlight of our trip and it wouldn't have been possible without your fantastic hospitality.

After lunch, we headed to the Office of Undergraduate Admission for an information session and campus tour. We learned about the university, its six undergraduate schools, student life, the application process and financial aid. It was a beautiful day for a tour and our stroll took us through The Arch, by The Rock, and into Norris University Center.

It was great to be back on campus, but it was also great to see our students on campus. Some of them had never seen a college before. I heard of a few of them say things like, "this is so cool," or, "I want to go to college." It is one thing to exceed academically, but you also have to want to go to college. You have to think that it is fun. Well, our students definitely had fun last Friday. I know they want to go to college and we at Cabrini Connections expect them to go to college. I look forward to their admissions one day. I just wonder what colors they'll be wearing. Purple would sure look nice :)

Student Spotlight: Lamont Morris

Lamont Morris, born and raised in Chicago, is a 7th grader at Alain Locke Charter Academy, located in East Garfield Park on the West Side. Lamont enjoys learning about our past, which is why his favorite subject is history. He recently learned about hieroglyphics - ancient Egyptian characters made by graphical figures - and was fascinated. Lamont's most challenging subject is math. In fact, part of the reason why he enrolled in Cabrini Connections is to get help with his math.

Lamont's mentor, Jeroz Owens, now provides that helps, and with a degree in Accountancy from the University of Notre Dame, he is most certainly qualified. Lamont and Jeroz got off to a great start this year by meeting several times over the summer. Lamont says of Jeroz:

He is a good mentor. He gives good advice when I have problems... He says, "Think of what would happen if you do this... The decisions you make are as important as the ones you don't make."

That's great advice!

Lamont is a very active young man, taking part in football, baseball, and boxing. His favorite boxer is undefeated welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather, Jr., and his favorite football player is Chicago Bears wide receiver and return specialist Devin Hester. His favorite person is an athlete, too: Magic Johnson. Lamont dreams of attending his alma mater, Michigan State University. He says he looks up to the athletes he does because of how they grew up. They had it hard, never gave up, and kept their heads up.

With so many good role models around, it's no surprise to hear that Lamont has some advice of his own. He says:

• Always ask questions
• Stay in school
• Listen to your teachers
• The mind is a wonderful thing. Don't waste it.

Thanks, Lamont! You're setting a good example for your peers. Keep up the good work!

Volunteer Spotlight: Jeroz Owens

Jeroz Owens grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago. In 2007, he received a Bachelor's Degree in Accountancy from the University of Notre Dame and in 2008 he received a Master's Degree in Accountancy from the University of Georgia. Accountants maintain and prepare financial records and reports for businesses and individuals.

Jeroz works in Enterprise Risk Services (ERS) at Deloitte, one of the largest professional services organizations in the world. ERS consultants help clients manage risk and uncertainty. Jeroz has worked at Deloitte for 14 months and is currently studying for the Certified Public Accounting (CPA) Exam.

As you can tell, Jeroz has put in a lot of hard work to get where he is today. He is very dedicated and always sets goals. "Where do I see myself in 5, 10, 20 years?" he asks. Jeroz might go into the real estate business and he might move to Atlanta, but for now he is happy living and working in Chicago where he can closely follow his favorite sports teams, the Bulls and the Cubs.

Jeroz enjoys coming to Cabrini Connections because it gives him time to kick back and relax during a long work week. He and his mentee, Lamont, started meeting this summer and have been a perfect match ever since. They get along well and have great communication. Some of Jeroz's tips for Lamont - and all of our students - are:

• Broaden your horizons
• Don't limit yourself in life
• Ask questions

Thanks, Jeroz! .. and congratulations on being in the spotlight!