Scholars join our community in their junior year of high school. Over their first year in our program, they apply to colleges, enroll in a best match-fit college of their choice, and begin building their leadership skills with the help of a team of peers, mentors, college counselors, and Chicago Scholars staff. Workshops keep Scholars on track with their applications and help them shore up their essay-writing and interview skills. Our flagship event, Onsite College and Leadership Forum, gives Scholars the chance to interview with representatives from our College Partners months before their peers — and sometimes even get an early acceptance letter. Through it all, bonding with their cohort of fellow Scholars creates relationships that last a lifetime.

College graduation isn’t the finish line for our Scholars, and it isn’t for Chicago Scholars, either. When Scholars reach their junior and senior years of college, we kick our career planning and leadership training into high gear to ensure students are ready to enter the workforce and chase their dreams. Career Mentors, workshops and one-on-one coaching sessions help Scholars explore career paths, write strong resumes and cover letters, and build interviewing and networking skills. Formal programming ends when Scholars land their first job or matriculate into graduate school, but we firmly believe “once a Scholar, always a Scholar.” Chicago Scholars has an active and engaged Alumni network, and we’re always finding ways to keep our Alumni vibrant parts of our community.