Chris’ Student Story

Meet Chris

Chris is a Black CPS alumni who grew up in Kenwood, a southside neighborhood in Chicago. He enrolled at a neighborhood high school academic center and attended his school from middle grades until high school graduation. He is currently a senior at an Ivy league school in New York and is double majoring in Government and Africana studies. On campus, you can find Chris jogging or performing as a DJ.

Chris’ commitment to academia sprouted when he was young. In middle school, his mother helped him apply to high school academic centers. After visiting an open house at his neighborhood high school, he decided to apply. “It felt very homey and just more of a family oriented vibe.” Looking back, Chris feels fortunate that his mother was able to support him throughout the entire application process. “I know a lot of people whose parents weren’t too familiar with the process and that could be the sole reason why they couldn’t apply through these types of schools. So it’s very helpful to have a parent that’s very involved in the process and then actually is attentive to those kinds of deadlines and things and knows the process of applying to those schools.”

Navigating High school

Although Chris had an early strong academic drive, he didn’t think too much about college until his sophomore year of high school during his first college visit. “One of the great things about [my high school] is they go on a lot of college tours and it was also very helpful and it’s a very reduced price than would normally be.” These visits were crucial for how Chris directed the rest of his time in high school with college in mind. Reflecting on those visits, he recognizes how important it is for students to think about college early on starting freshman year. “But during those college tours, they definitely helped just get a feel for the actual school and just get you, because if you don’t think about college your freshman year of high school, a lot of the times I feel like it can be too late. Like, high school senior year, it’s too late to build that foundation that leads up to that. That’s why it’s so important just to start strong freshman year.”

“But during those college tours, they definitely helped just get a feel for the actual school and just get you, because if you don’t think about college your freshman year of high school, a lot of the times I feel like it can be too late. Like, high school senior year, it’s too late to build that foundation that leads up to that. That’s why it’s so important just to start strong freshman year.”

Chris thought about college as more than just a stepping stone to a career but developmental experience supporting his holistic development. “College just always seemed like not the only option, but the only I guess option for me that was really focused on in terms of just elevating yourself early on. I really latched on to the idea of academia being a way to really elevate yourself, your mind, your spiritual and just your soul in general in terms of just education and just moving forward through life and improving upon your character.”

At the same time, Chris also recognized some grounding benefits of college such as financial mobility. His mother has a Masters degree and growing up he saw how her degrees helped them both financially. “Just seeing what an education can do and what it has done for my mom in terms of giving her access to what we take for granted are basic necessities, but often in Chicago people don’t even have access to that. And just wanting to be able to, or having that example of a parent that doesn’t live paycheck to paycheck and seeing that she achieved that through education was also very inspiring for me as well.” Chris saw college as a pathway towards economic mobility, with his mother a living example of that.

“Just seeing what an education can do and what it has done for my mom in terms of giving her access to what we take for granted are basic necessities, but often in Chicago people don’t even have access to that. And just wanting to be able to, or having that example of a parent that doesn’t live paycheck to paycheck and seeing that she achieved that through education was also very inspiring for me as well.”

When it came to the college selection process Chris knew he wanted to leave Chicago. “I just think I love Chicago too much, and then I needed to get outside of that bubble to grow… if I went to [a college in Chicago], then my entire academic career and my schooling would’ve been within a two mile radius of each other. And I think that was going to be very limiting to me in terms of my own personal development and growth. So that’s definitely why I wanted to get out of state.”

During his college search, he thought about the different student communities and wondered what a sense of belonging looked like inspired by his experience. Initially Chris was considering attending a Historically Black College University. “[My high school] has such a strong foundation, it still does within the Black community, just being in a predominantly Black high school, it really did just branch into that kind of HBCU or tapping into that history and that context and just everything or a good portion of what you learn within the school that [the neighborhood] has to deal with the everyday lives of Black and Brown people, which I think was one of the things I really liked about the school most.”

“[My high school] has such a strong foundation, it still does within the Black community, just being in a predominantly Black high school, it really did just branch into that kind of HBCU or tapping into that history and that context and just everything or a good portion of what you learn within the school that [the neighborhood] has to deal with the everyday lives of Black and Brown people, which I think was one of the things I really liked about the school most.”

Given the strong cultural foundation he has because of his high school, he felt open to explore different experiences. The other factor Chris considered when it came to exploring out of state school was financial aid. Eventually, when Chris opened his admission letter from an Ivy League school in New York, he immediately decided to attend. “That was the most prestigious school I could get into. And then also it was the most affordable option, which is kind of funny too. So yeah, I was definitely very happy, very ecstatic because definitely a height that hasn’t been reached in my family.”

“That was the most prestigious school I could get into. And then also it was the most affordable option, which is kind of funny too. So yeah, I was definitely very happy, very ecstatic because definitely a height that hasn’t been reached in my family.”

Chris’ College Journey

Once Chris started school in the fall, he saw the different interpretations of what going to an Ivy League college meant to other students from more privileged backgrounds. “CPS dreams are a sense of everyday life for a lot of people at this institution who are legacies or just have a lot of people within their inner circle within their network that have gone to these schools or ‘I have friends at Harvard’ when it’s like, this is my first introduction to this type of school.”

“CPS dreams are a sense of everyday life for a lot of people at this institution who are legacies or just have a lot of people within their inner circle within their network that have gone to these schools or ‘I have friends at Harvard’ when it’s like, this is my first introduction to this type of school.”

Being in an entirely new space, Chris had some initial worries. “Imposter syndrome, just thinking about just being at the school and just not really fitting in or finding a good community. Being out of state is a big thing too.” He noted the cultural shock he had in navigating the difference in cultures from the Midwest Chicago culture to the East Coast. While navigating a new space can be difficult, Chris is also appreciative that he has been able to meet new people from all over the world. “I’ve interacted with the whole African diaspora, which is something that I never got a chance to experience in Chicago. I’ve interacted with a lot of international students, just people from all walks of life.”

Now entering his last year of undergrad, Chris talked about how the most difficult challenges he’s face is academic preparation. “[There’s] college readiness and then college readiness for this institution…I really personally do believe that I went to the best possible high school in Chicago to prepare me for college. But then that gap is still, I don’t want to say insurmountable, because that seems like no change can be done, but it’s still a very big and great gap between what’s actually the academic rigor at [this university]… And that definitely comes from other students too, regardless of where you come from. But it’s definitely, it weighs a lot heavier on CPS students or CPS graduates who even I talk to now.”

“[There’s] college readiness and then college readiness for this institution…I really personally do believe that I went to the best possible high school in Chicago to prepare me for college. But then that gap is still, I don’t want to say insurmountable, because that seems like no change can be done, but it’s still a very big and great gap between what’s actually the academic rigor at [this university]… And that definitely comes from other students too, regardless of where you come from. But it’s definitely, it weighs a lot heavier on CPS students or CPS graduates who even I talk to now.”

The biggest academic gaps he noted were in STEM related courses. “I do have challenges a lot with math and stats, more like STEM focused classes, which was never the case really within high school. And I don’t know if that’s because I didn’t dive deeper into the subject field, but just getting exposed to even the same calculus at the high school versus Calculus at [my university], it is a lot to take in. I’ve definitely found myself at office hours a lot, just more than my peers just trying to actually lock in on work and then with, or even just not being exposed to STATS in high school and then taking stats here and being feeling like a behind the curve a little bit.”

He noted that he wished he would have had more guidance on his class selection in high school, to take courses that would best prepare him for a high academic rigor earlier. “I don’t want to fault [my high school] because I think [my high school] definitely has a lot of these classes, but in terms of you needing to take the initiative to take them… So it’s just kind of navigating that on my own instead of being told “take this class, take this class to sort of prepare you for [this university].”

“I don’t want to fault [my high school] because I think [my high school] definitely has a lot of these classes, but in terms of you needing to take the initiative to take them… So it’s just kind of navigating that on my own instead of being told “take this class, take this class to sort of prepare you for [this university].”

Chris’ Next Steps

If Chris could travel back in time, he would still choose to attend his current university. “Just being able to conquer something and to endure such hardship that’s unfamiliar to myself, has definitely shaped my character in terms of my determination…and not even to get things done, but just as values to live my life. I can’t reach a point in academia that would be more rigorous than where I am right now, regardless of law school or grad school. If I decide to attend, I’ve definitely been pushed to the breaking point of academic rigor. So that’s something I guess I can say I know how to navigate now.”

Beaming with pride he talked about his plans on enrolling in law school and is looking for schools located in a city “because being on a hill in the middle of nowhere sometimes is not fun. But the nature is nice.”

What worked for Chris

• Having his mother as a mentor to help him navigate the academic opportunities and show him the value of a college degree: Chris’ mother supported him to access rigorous academic programs and inspired him to think about the benefits of college. “External motivations, just seeing what an education can do and what it has done for my mom in terms of giving her access to what we take for granted is basic necessities, but often in Chicago people don’t even have access to that. And just wanting to be able to, or having that example of a parent that doesn’t live paycheck to paycheck and seeing that she achieved that through education was also very inspiring for me as well.”
• Going to college out of state: Although going out of state for college was challenging at times, Chris is greatly appreciative of the new opportunities and people he was able to be connected with by leaving home. “I’ve interacted with the whole African diaspora, which is something that I never got a chance to experience in Chicago. I’ve interacted with a lot of international students, just people from all walks of life.”

Chris’ Aspirations for the field

1. For high schools: to connect assignments to real life examples to embrace critical thinking. Chris encourages high school assignments to “embrace academic rigor” by helping students think beyond the assignment “Essentially taking the coursework in the high school and just actually trying to find meaning within it. And then not so much of seeing an assignment, it’s just that worksheet to complete, but also going above and beyond it.” He mentioned this can help students develop the critical thinking skills to be lifelong learners to help when pursuing their higher education.
2. For higher education institutions: Robust accessibility at prestigious universities for First Generation College & Low Income Students Reflecting on his experience, Chris noted how although prestigious universities have tried to eliminate financial barriers for CPS students once accepted, there are still too many systemic roadblocks that prevent them from even preparing to apply. “How does a student from that social economic status even make it past all these barriers and these challenges just to get to the point to even apply to that school. So it’s not really helping or solving it.”