Chicago Sun Times: Chicago group helps youngsters attend college and find a job
Treasury Blake-Marlow took a three-hour trip last summer from Chicago to visit Knox College in Galesburg.
She spent the day touring the campus, sitting in on classes and talking to students. Now, the college is offering the 17-year-old Whitney Young High School senior a $24,000 yearly scholarship. She made the trip with help from the nonprofit Chicago Scholars, which provides a seven-year program to help Chicago area youth attend college.
The program, which starts when teens are juniors in high school, helps low-income or first-generation college students apply to college, remain in college and find a job. Aside from adult mentors, students are peered with other students to provide a supportive network. Since Chicago Scholars started in 1996, more than 1,200 students have completed the program.