Chicago Scholars attend Beating the Odds Summit at the White House

On Tuesday, July 19, our President and CEO Dominique Jordan Turner accompanied Scholars Nia Hill and Christopher Wilson (Class of 2020) to the First Lady’s Beating the Odds Summit at the White House. Nia and Christopher were invited to join 127 other college-bound students from across the country who have overcome significant obstacles in order to get where they are today.

The Beating the Odds Summit is part of the First Lady’s Reach Higher and Better Make Room initiatives, and is an opportunity for college-bound students to celebrate their tremendous accomplishments, get advice from the First Lady and major White House and Department of Education representatives as well as staff from organizations like Google and influencers like Tyler Oakley and Jidenna, and learn tools and strategies for a successful college transition.

Aside from the excitement of being in the White House, Nia and Christopher enjoyed the program. In an interview with Black Enterprise, Christopher said, “I left feeling really motivated by the panels, and as if anything is possible with hard work.”

At the summit, they ran into three other Chicago Scholars – Sammie Shields, Clinton Osei, and Kendrick Rogers – who had been invited to represent other organizations or schools.

Dominique was also able to make a big check mark on her bucket list when she took a photo with Michelle Obama!

MEDIA COVERAGE

We are excited to share with you the widespread media coverage we received surrounding Nia, Christopher and Dominique’s participation at the summit. Nia and Christopher were interviewed and featured in multiple news outlets, including NBC 5, WGN, US News and World Report, Washington Post, Black Enterprise, Chicago Citizen, and DNA Info:

NBC 5 interviewed Christopher Wilson at the Beating the Odds Summit, and it aired on that evening
Chicago Citizen covered Nia and Christopher’s visit to the White House
Black Enterprise featured an interview with Christopher about the Summit
Joe Heim interviewed and featured Nia in the Washington Post article “At the White House, college-bound students celebrated for overcoming steep odds“
Nia, Christopher and Dominique Jordan Turner appeared live on WGN to talk about their experience and what Chicago Scholars does to help Chicago students “beat the odds”
DNA Info featured Nia and Christopher for an in-depth article on their journeys to get to where they are today
US News and World Report shared Nia’s storyand her remarkable talent and persistence as she went through the college application process while her family was homeless her senior year of high school