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John (Mr. JJ) Jones LEARN 6 Behavior Interventionist learncharter.org/schools/learn6/

Mr. JJ works at LEARN 6, one of two public charter schools serving North Chicago families. Due to COVID-19, LEARN 6 is redefining the very meaning of school-home connection. Mr. JJ, along with every other school staff member, connects with a specific group of families, at least twice weekly. During these virtual visits and drop-offs, they provide online continued education, tech resources, food, and emotional resources. In this way, the entire staff collectively ensures that every LEARN family is regularly supported during this isolating time.

“This is another step towards enhancing trust between schools and families. It’s one of the many positives that will come out of this challenging time.”

Mr. JJ reaches out to families as a community member with deep roots for nearly 25 years. He lived in North Chicago for 17 years and worked in D187 for 16—including six years as Dean of Students at Neal Math & Science Academy. He is also married to an NCCHS alum.

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Mano a Mano mamfrc.org Pictured: Mana a Mano staff member Erika Martinez

Social service provider Mano a Mano knew that COVID-19 would create tremendous needs for Lake County immigrant communities that would not be met by the government response. So, they created a Tanda—an emergency community fund—to help individuals pay for food and urgent medical care. More than $300,000 has been raised to help those who often have no other option for support.

“It’s heartbreaking to witness the fear and anxiety of our immigrant neighbors. But we’ve built trust and solidarity with our community. Now more than ever, they know they can count on us. They are not alone.” -Megan McKenna, Director of Strategy & Development

WIth over two decades of service, Mano a Mano works to empower immigrant families in Lake County to become full participants in American life. They provide immigration legal services, connect families to health care resources, run GED and English Language classes, and much more.

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City of North Chicago, Public Works Department northchicago.org/public_works Pictured: Water Plant Operator Michael Clayborne

Before COVID-19 came to the U.S., the City’s Public Works Department was already preparing to keep North Chicago’s water plant operators—and the city’s water supply—safe. They activated their emergency response plan, which includes a carefully orchestrated shift change protocol so spaces are disinfected and no operator comes in contact with another.  

“The real heroes are the talented water plant staff doing their jobs every day. They’ve put their personal lives on hold to stay healthy and keep our city healthy. Ensuring safe water is not a job we take lightly.” – Ed Wilmes, Public Works Director,  City of North Chicago

North Chicago’s Public Works Department has 23 employees, all considered essential and working during the shutdown. They ensure the safe operation of the water plant as well as streets and other utilities.

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Nicole Johnson Principal, Green Bay Early Childhood Center, D187

Nicole is one of many North Chicago leaders juggling daily work with the needs of their own kids. When COVID-19 first closed schools, Nicole hustled out Facebook videos with activities and songs for her preschool families – all from her living room, with her son Jonathan assisting. She was determined to ensure that everyone had tools in hand to keep learning going.  And since then, Nicole and her team have posted a full range of e-learning offerings every day, from math games to interactive read-alouds to creative art-at-home ideas.

“Work-from-home challenges are very real, for all of us. We’re doing our best for North Chicago children... learning and growing every day!”

Green Bay Early Childhood Center serves 265 North Chicago children ages 3-5, with a staff of 17 teachers, 17 para-professionals, and 3 administrators. In addition to leading Green Bay, Nicole leads District 187’s Birth to 3rd Grade programs.

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Luis Villa NCCHS Class of 2019 Student at Carthage College, Kenosha, WI

Luis works part-time as a certified nursing assistant at a nursing home in Gurnee, while studying nursing at Carthage College. COVID-19 has changed his routine—but not his determination. He has shifted to taking his classes online as he continues to care for those who are vulnerable and isolated.

“COVID-19 has changed our sense of normalcy. But I continue to assist our nursing home residents with their daily needs such as feeding, bathing, and dressing. We’re careful to follow precautions to keep us all safe.”

Luis got excited about his future as a nurse during a high school summer internship offered through Warhawk Summer Up. The program, run by the City of North Chicago, gives young people the opportunity to experience, first-hand, their life after school. Students can take classes on college campuses for free or work in paid internships aligned to their career interests. warhawksummerup.org

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Alex Flores Detective, North Chicago Police Department

When Detective Flores had a week off from work recently, he didn’t just catch up on sleep or a favorite show. Alex partnered with Northern IL Makers–COVID-19 PPE Support to make protective face shield kits for first responders and medical personnel. Alex has constructed more than 1,000 face shield kits so far.

“After working here for over 18 years, I really know and care about North Chicago. I want to do what I can to contribute. We’re in this together.”

Northern IL Makers–COVID-19 PPE Support, founded by Daniel Busse and others, is a Facebook group of individuals who donate time and equipment to address the massive need for PPE.  The group welcomes anyone with skills such as sewing, 3D printing, sourcing materials, and laser cutting.

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Twice As Nice Mother & Child twiceasnicemc.org

Twice As Nice Mother & Child, founded in 2010, partners with social service agencies to distribute essential items to families with young children, such as baby clothes, diapers, and formula. It serves more than 1,000 Lake County children each month.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created greater need while making distribution harder. Twice As Nice responded in March by organizing their first-ever Twice As Nice drive-through mobile diaper pantry. They handed out 11,350 diapers to 231 families and 318 children in just four hours.

“We’re doing our best to serve our neighbors in need. As requests for diapers increase, we’re looking for ways to meet the demand. We believe we can, and will, if we continue to work together.”

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North Chicago Community Partners NorthChicagoCommunityPartners.org

North Chicago Community Partners, founded in 2008, is committed to the children and families of North Chicago. Using a “community school” model, they work to strengthen the school district—providing extended learning and enrichment opportunities, family care supports, parent engagement activities, and much more.

When COVID-19 closed schools and made grocery stores inaccessible, North Chicago Community Partners sprang into action to help address the needs of children and families. In one week, they distributed 263 snack and learn kits, 197 emergency food bags, and 1,644 books. With their characteristic energy and positivity, they are helping families get through this crisis.

“Families come for food and leave with much more. Snack and learn activities help busy parents engage their children in fun ways, and help make home time together learning time too.”

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Ebony Wilson Parent & Community Liaison, D187 NCCHS Class of 1994

Warhawk Pride: “You have to teach tradition and you have to teach pride. I tell students: ‘You live in Prairie View. I used to live in that same area! I’m proud to be from North Chicago. I want you to be just as proud!’ I tell them that I was once sitting in these classrooms, this auditorium. I was once cheering on these sidelines. I want them to be able to see themselves in me.”

Ebony’s path:

Grew up in Rolling Greens—known today as Prairie View—across the street from NCCHS

Attended Novak-King Elementary (K-8); NCCHS Class of ‘94

Studied for two years at University of Illinois, then Parkland Community College

Moved back home to North Chicago to work for an insurance agency

Started coaching Cheer at NCCHS in 2000

Became a paraprofessional at NCCHS in 2001

Studied at College of Lake County, and then Chicago State, where she completed her Bachelor’s in Career and Technical Education, while working full-time at NCCHS

Became Family/Community Liaison in 2012, first at NCCHS, now in all schools

Ebony’s North Chicago history: “I remember every teacher from K-8. My 7th grade teacher really had an impact on my life. That year, my brother in the Army had a serious accident and was in a coma for months. My mom needed to be with him. I remember clinging to my teacher, who was like my mom that year.”

“High school was the best time of my life. I had a community. I was on the cheerleading team, student council. People knew me because of my siblings. I graduated in the top 10 percent of my class and got accepted to U of I. But I wish I had the support that the kids have now—the push to go to college and the discipline to stay in college.”

“Although I grew up here, and worked at the high school since 2001, I hadn’t even been in some D187 buildings. That’s how it was: you know your school, but you don’t go in somebody else’s. I had never been at Green Bay, Neal, AJK, Forrestal.”

Ebony’s North Chicago vision: “Now I’m everywhere and I love being able to build relationships. Staff, students, and families recognize me. They know who I am. They have somebody they can trust. That’s where my long history here comes in: some of my former students are preschool parents at Green Bay. They know they can depend on me to be a voice for them. They know I was once in their shoes.”

“Today, there are fewer homeowners, an outrageous mobility rate, and homelessness in North Chicago. But there have also been a lot of positive changes. I’m pleased where things are going. There are a lot of things happening here that don’t happen everywhere else: Warhawk Summer Up opportunities, college and career coaches—we don’t let students fall through the cracks or fall behind. I feel like we’re actually turning that corner for success.”

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Keith Turner Assistant Principal/Athletics & Activities, North Chicago Community High School

Warhawk Pride: “I encourage our students to build positive relationships with adults. If you have an idea of what you want to become, ask someone that’s already there. Try experiencing enough positive activities to broaden your viewpoint of what you want to do.”

Keith’s path:

Grew up in North Chicago on 25th Street

Went to South Yeager schools (K-5), AJK (6-8); NCCHS Class of ‘02

Played high school football, was team captain

Youngest of 6 children, and has a twin; older brother played in the NFL

Received partial academic scholarship to University of Illinois, recruited to play football

Diagnosed with Crohn’s disease as a high school senior; dropped football, missed first semester of college, and struggled second semester

Re-enrolled for a full load while taking online courses at Parkland Community College; graduated in four years with his brother, with a BA in Sociology

Started work as a substitute teacher while working on a Master’s in Education

While working as a dean at NCCHS, earned his second Master’s in Educational Leadership; gradually transitioned into current role for last 5 years

Keith’s North Chicago history: “The community feeling stands out in my memory. We had district teachers employed for quite some time, but from the community as well. At least four of my grade school teachers went to school with my mother (NCCHS Class of ‘67). Some of my teachers had also taught my brothers, and that created a sense of connection.”

“At U of I, I became aware of some disadvantages bestowed on me because of where I grew up, including academic requirements I was never even exposed to. I’d been successful in school my entire life. I earned an academic scholarship thinking I was going to be just as successful in college. Originally, it was devastating. I’m lucky I have a twin who walked through this with me.”

“We always knew college was good; we wanted to go to be successful. But we didn’t have anyone to walk us through the next steps, once you get the degree: how do you get a job, how do you start your career? It was just me and my brother navigating that alone.”

Keith’s North Chicago vision: “I feel like I’m making a decent living, and also I feel like I want to give back. We’re trying to build back a sense of community. We have so many staff—they need to be connected to the building, connected to the kids. You’ve got be vested in the building that you work.”

“Standards for teaching and learning here are much stronger today. We’re working on exposing kids to life advising. We have a college and career specialist. We offer different avenues and a bigger sense of the world and opportunities, like internships and college visits. I do appreciate that for our kids now because I didn’t have it at all.”

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Tara Cook College & Career Coach, North Chicago Community High School

Warhawk Pride: “Every 10 years our high school class has a reunion, typically around homecoming weekend, so we’re all able to come home to a football game. The school has been very supportive. Our recent 30th class reunion was our first year away: about 50 of us showed up in Las Vegas. It was a good thing! It really does mean a lot to be a Warhawk.”

Tara’s path:

Grew up in North Chicago; attended Central (K-5, later Hart), AJK (6th), Neal (7th/8th),  NCCHS Class of ‘88 (her father was NCCHS Class of ‘62)

2 sons graduated from NCCHS; her grandson is at Neal

Started college at Xavier University of Louisiana (an HBCU in New Orleans); transferred to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale

After working some years, finished her Education Psychology degree at Barat College (of Depaul University)

Worked 17 years as director of Daisy’s Resource Optional School

Volunteered at NCCHS, then hired in 2013 to provide options and support to students on their educational journey, including college/careers

Participated in community drill team; today, coaches cheerleading

Tara’s North Chicago history: “My dad grew up here and worked for Johnson Outboard Motor. My mother worked for Abbott. North Chicago was very blue collar, and you could make a really good living.”

“My school memories are all about teachers: in Kindergarten, Ms. Bankston made me feel I could do anything. At Central, my teachers made me feel at home away from home, especially Ms. Hardy. I remember youth activities—the park district had a lot going on. Everyone would hang out there.”

“When I went to high school, I had more teachers that looked like me. I knew I could be a teacher because I had Black teachers. That was big for me: I saw people that looked like me.”

Tara’s North Chicago vision: “I’ve always wanted to work for the district, to make an impact in North Chicago. I want to show students that it really doesn’t matter where you start: you can still do whatever you want to do. I’m happy to tell them that I got my bachelor’s degree, my master’s degree. You frame your success, and you just do it. North Chicago taught me how to solve problems.”

“Being a teen parent drove me to want better for my son. On my desk, I have a picture of us at my high school graduation, at my college graduation, and at his college graduation. These are milestones I’m very proud of. I’m open with students: I want them to see we all have things that we go through—that could present themselves as barriers if you allow them to be. That’s what life is all about. Whatever your situation, you just have to keep moving through it.”

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Angelique Robinson Assistant Principal, Neal Math & Science Academy

Warhawk Pride: “I’m from North Chicago. I have three college degrees. All our kids are college worthy. They should dream big. That’s my big push. In order for kids to see their worth, they’ve got to work at something and be successful at it. And then past that, push, and dream. Dream!”

Angelique’s path:

Grew up in North Chicago, raised by grandparents; today, lives near Neal

Went to AJK (K-8)

Has 11 kids; her daughter Malika Rogers is AP at AJK

Worked at the Great Lakes Credit Union while completing her associate’s degree at the College of Lake County

Earned her 2nd degree in Education at Northeastern University; student taught at Hart School (3rd), then taught at AJK (3rd) for 8 years

Earned her master’s then worked as Dean at NCCHS; started at Neal as Dean; now AP

Angelique’s North Chicago history: “The national champion Angel Drill Team was a big part of my childhood. I started as a Bunny at age nine, and I was an Angel when I graduated from high school. It was a big community activity. Tara Cook, Ebony Wilson, me—we were all drill team. We talk about it all the time: some of our leadership qualities took root there. Our coach held us to a high standard.”

“In high school, I had nobody saying, ‘Angie, go to college!’ I don’t remember interacting with my counselor. I was never in trouble, so I didn’t spend time in the dean’s office. I was on Drill Team, ROTC, and ran track and cross country. But there was nobody to push me. That drives how I am with students right now: I’m always in their face, pushing them to set goals.”

Angelique’s North Chicago vision: “A student asked, ‘You live in North Chicago?’ I said, ‘Yes, I live across the street from the school.’ He’s like, ‘For real? I thought you just came here to work, then went home.’ Another student said, ‘You went to school in North Chicago AND you went to college?’ It frustrates me that we have this notion that so few of our kids ‘make it.’ We have a lot of positives.”

“I think we’re resource rich, schoolwise. But communitywise, we’re resource poor. You want to go swimming? You can’t: we’ve got a pool with no water. You better not get in the lake at the [closed] beach unless you want to drown, with those dangerous currents. Our kids don’t know the community they live in. Every year I take them on a field trip to Foss Park. I purposely say nothing else. I get them all excited, and we begin to walk towards the lake. They’re like, ‘The park is over there.’ I say, ‘That’s not Foss Park. That’s the youth center. The actual Foss Park is the big, beautiful one down by the lake.’ I don’t know that any of them have been there before. I want them to see it, because it’s so pretty.”

“I love working with 8th graders, to set them up for success in high school. It’s the year to see your potential, set some goals. I tell them, ‘You are worthy of having a good life! What do you want for yourself? Figure that out, and then let’s work toward it.’”

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Joel McBride

Conversation with a Dreamer: It’s All About Choices You Make

Joel McBride grew up in North Chicago and Zion, IL, and graduated from Marquette University with a marketing degree in 2017. After working for a year at Amazon’s Kenosha center, he was promoted and transferred to Ohio in 2018. Joel shares insights on his rocky college start, his quick ascent in management at Amazon, and lessons learned along the way. He has high expectations for himself and for young people in North Chicago: “Everyone is capable of great things.”

You had a pretty tough first semester of college. How did you turn things around? “There’s a lot of opportunities that you have. And then it’s all about the choices you make. So, I changed my mindset. A lot of people blame things on others, but it’s all about the choices you make. You can choose to go to a party, study, hang out with friends, or seek help. I started making the right choices.”

“People have always had high expectations of me. From a young age, I’ve had leadership roles: president of the National Honor Society, captain of the football and track and field teams. I had great expectations of myself too. I realized I had to step up. School is the most important thing. But Marquette is Division 1, and I wanted to be good at track and field. I was learning how to balance school, my sport, and a social life.”

What support did the university offer? “The resources were second to none: tutoring, counseling help. But I still had to make the choice to use them or not. My first semester, with a required study hall, I still got a 1.6 GPA. I had all the help I could need, but I chose to be social and focus on track. Then my parents got a letter, and called me for a heart to heart. They said, (9:33-9:44) ‘You have to decide where you want your life to go. You can go to college, but you see a lot of people drop out of college. And if you drop out, it’s like you never went.”

“There’s only one way to learn some skills in life, and that’s by living it. If you don’t live it, you’ll never learn those skills, because no one can teach you how to handle someone’s family member just dying and they’re not being productive at work, and you have this work expectation you have to meet, but you have to also have a heart to deal with people.”

“Was that the future I wanted for myself, or did I want something more? It’s easy for African Americans to become a statistic. I thought, there’s no point in me going backwards. I’ve got to go forward.”

“If I could be someone’s example—I was not the smartest kid, but I knew how to get stuff done. I knew how to use my resources, how to gain the information needed to become one of the smarter people. It’s all about choices.”

I Have A Dream empowers children to achieve higher education and their leadership potential by providing guaranteed tuition support and the skills, knowledge, and habits needed to succeed in college and beyond. For more information, visit IHaveADreamFoundation.org

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Courtney Murray Marquette University Graduate

“Don’t be afraid to fail. Get back up. Then, get creative with the resources you have, because there’s always somebody willing to give you advice.”

Born in Waukegan and raised in North Chicago, Courtney Murray was in the first class of North Chicago students to receive support from the I Have A Dream Foundation as a kindergartner in 2001. After internships at the Illinois State’s Attorney’s office, for U.S. Congressman Danny Davis, and the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Courtney graduated from Marquette University with a degree in criminology, and now works for Allstate Insurance Company.

I Have A Dream empowers children to achieve higher education and their leadership potential by providing guaranteed tuition support and the skills, knowledge, and habits needed to succeed in college and beyond. For more information, visit IHaveADreamFoundation.org

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Kashmir McElrath

When Kashmir McElrath, 23, walks into the North Chicago Public Library, staff greet her with warm smiles and inquire about her family. She’s clearly a local daughter-come-home that makes them proud.

Born and raised not far from that library, Kashmir was ready to go far away for college. “Going to Atlanta for school: that was something big. Sometimes I’m nervous about changes, but I tell myself, ‘You’ve got to take that leap of faith.’”

With support--financial and otherwise--from the North Chicago Dreamers program, Kashmir turned down scholarships to closer-by colleges and chose Agnes Scott, an all-women college near Atlanta.

She was surrounded by people--from her mom, grandma, and brother to church members and school teachers--who boosted her confidence to take such a leap. “They’d say, ‘Kashmir, if you want to do it, you can do it!’ They believed in me, so I decided to believe in myself. I always was willing to make others happy, and now I wanted to make myself happy too.”

When Kashmir was 11, her mom was diagnosed with MS (Multiple Sclerosis). “That’s when I really started growing up,” she remembers. “I wanted to do what I had to do to make my life good, and my mom’s life good.”

At North Chicago Community High School, Kashmir excelled in academics, served as an ambassador to new students, and played volleyball. Heading off to college, she expected similar success. “But it was a whole different ball game,” Kashmir recalls. “Everything was rigorous: homework, how the professors taught, the words they used. But I was stubborn. I was used to being the tutor, the helper. I didn’t want to go to someone else for help. But I learned that’s what I needed, and that’s how I got through.”

She started Agnes Scott College (ASC) as a psychology major, but really liked her English classes, and remembered a North Chicago elementary school teacher’s words: ‘Kashmir, you’re going to be a great writer one day.’ By the end of sophomore year, she declared English as her major. Kashmir became active, joining the ASC NAACP chapter as well as Pinky Promise ASC (a religious sisterhood). She served as class representative of ASC’s Honor Court, a student-run justice and mediation program for student offenses.

With English as her passion, Kashmir found her first job with City Year Milwaukee, serving as a classroom aide in a local public school. “I loved my students; I wish I could still see them every day.” But her grandmother passed away that year, and when the City Year commitment ended, Kashmir moved back to North Chicago to be closer to family.

Now she works in the demanding field of mental health services. She’s also considering what’s next. It’s a tricky balance: “I’m helping everybody else, so let me help myself as well.” Whatever she chooses, it will likely include that facet she so loves: being teacher, mentor, and supporter. “If someone can look up to me and see themselves in me, I like that. I want to see someone else succeed like I did, and know that being an African-American woman, you can go so far.”

Kashmir wears a beautiful black onyx ring. She proudly explains the Agnes Scott College sophomore year tradition: “When you’re presented with the ring, inscribed with ASC, you wear with the letters facing you. Your focus at that point is on your life at college. Then at graduation, you symbolically turn the ring around so ASC faces out as you go into the future.”

Kashmir is certainly future-facing. And she’s sure of one thing: she’ll be living her own dreams, not someone else’s.

“A lot of people want to live other people’s dreams. They want to grow up to be Kashmir. No, grow up to be you! With social media, kids think, ‘I want to have this body, this hair, this boyfriend, this girlfriend,’” she bemoans. “But that’s not life!”

Kashmir the teacher, tutor, and mentor kicks in: “Take every opportunity that you can. Go ahead and show who you are. And don’t give up on your dreams by living someone else’s.”

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Jazmine (Zinnerman) Latham

Jazmine (Zinnerman) Latham, raised in North Chicago, remembers her passion for problem-solving as early as fourth grade. Pushed to excel in math by teachers and her stepmom, she loved the competitive edge in classes. She also honed her own problem-solving life skills by learning from the choices of others around her. Jazmine double majored in Business and Public Relations at Bradley University in Peoria, IL, including a J-term in London, before launching into the business world. She’s eager to share her story: “I’ve always been open. I want whatever I say or do to help someone else.”

When Jazmine moved with her father and stepmother from the City of Chicago to North Chicago, IL in fourth grade, a teacher awakened her competitive spirit.

“That’s when my passion for math started, as I drilled multiplication tables with him, and then more at home with my stepmom.”

She also became a Dreamer, receiving mentoring, tutoring, and encouragement to excel. Jazmine credits another math teacher, in sixth grade, for her move into honors classes. “Being in Dreamers helped me a lot. My mentor, Ms. Denton, was a great support to me. She knew everything I was trying to do, while still making honor roll and graduating in the top 10 of my high school class—doing that with all the obstacles in my life.”

Jazmine started applying to colleges some distance from home, ready for a big change. “I didn’t want to be what I came from. I wanted something better.” But she worried about how to pay for college, and was working full-time at KFC senior year to save money.

An unexpected scholarship from I Have a Dream North Chicago made the difference. “I remember telling people I met at Bradley University freshman year that I was there because of a blessing from God.”

She was thrilled to be away at college but, to her surprise, she was also homesick. “I really battled with it,” Jazmine remembers. “I knew what I was doing for myself, but at the same time I cared about other people—people back home. It made me sad to see people I knew not pushing through obstacles to reach their full potential.”

“Even though I couldn’t see just where I was going, I knew I was going somewhere,” she emphasizes. It took a while to figure out just where. Her initial interest in being a detective—a role she loved in her favorite shows and movies—had waned when she learned she would have to go through the police academy. “I didn’t want to have to shoot anybody; I wanted to just solve the problems.” She discovered business, and later chose public relations as a second major. “I wanted to learn how to be OK speaking before people, which I’m still learning,” she laughs.

Jazmine graduated in 4 ½ years with a double major, and was still able to spend J-term (January, when most students are on break) in London. She gets wistful, remembering the sights, new friends, even walking past the shooting of the movie “Wonder Woman.” She keeps some British pounds on hand, hoping for the chance to return.

Today, Jazmine lives in the far south suburbs of Chicago with her musician husband, whom she met at church during college. Her business and public relations degree is the ideal backdrop for her job as a Contract Operations Specialist with Rewards Network, where she provides customer service for a salesforce offering restaurant marketing and funding opportunities.

Jazmine’s older sister recently went back to school. It makes Jazmine happy that her choices may be having an impact on others. “That’s something I’ve always wanted. I don’t mind talking about different things I went through, and the outcome, because you never know how that could help someone else. I’ve always been open. I want whatever I say or do to help someone else.”

Jazmine dreams about opening a business with her husband, and offers this wisdom to current high schoolers: “You can be the one to start something new. Value your future: it’s not far away!”

And she faces forward. “I don’t know everything and that’s OK. Outside of day-to-day life, I’ve gained knowledge from the Bible. There’s tons of wisdom in the Book of Proverbs. Something I’ve learned, that has helped me to be humble, is that there’s always room to grow to become a better you.”

I Have A Dream empowers children to achieve higher education and fulfill their leadership potential by providing them with guaranteed tuition support and equipping them with the skills, knowledge, and habits they need to gain entry to higher education and succeed in college and beyond. The North Chicago, IL I Have A Dream class of 2017 formed when an entire kindergarten class was adopted in 2001. Most participants—known as Dreamers—have now graduated from college and are pursuing their careers.

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Charles Jones Alumni of North Chicago

Hometown: Raised in Los Angeles, CA and North Chicago, IL Education: 2017 graduate of Lake Forest College Degree: B.A. Major: English Employer: North Chicago Community Partners Theme: Always connecting, always learning Advice: “Have a purpose. You have to find something that gives you a strong reason to wake up in the morning.”

Charles was a kindergartener when he became a Dreamer, receiving mentoring, tutoring, and encouragement to excel throughout his school career in North Chicago.

The Lake Forest College graduate recalls the special activities--from theater outings to camping trips to college tours. But the best part? “I always did my homework after school with the Dreamers,” Charles remembers, “so I never went home with the stress of homework. School was always a great thing for me.”

His mother--who adopted him and his brother when they were babies--advocated for him. When high school English proved too easy, she brought in his 8th grade scores and requested honors courses instead. “She always said, ‘Get your bachelor’s, master’s, Ph.D., go all the way. Education is the way to success!’”

“I believe that,” says Charles, “but that can be quite an arduous thing to believe, because the end goal is so far away. I’ve seen a lot of my students feel dissuaded to perform, because they think, ‘Oh, I’m not going to use this in life.’ They have good reason to say that--some of the things you learn you’re not going to use in your everyday life. But I tell them that school is also designed to teach you how to study. You’re basically being designed to learn.”

When Charles’ mother and brother had to return to L.A. for financial reasons, he stayed in North Chicago to finish high school, living with nearby families who offered to host him. He exudes gratitude for this extended family, not of blood, but of choice. “Everything is interwoven; that’s why I love telling my story,” he insists. “I’ve had phenomenal women become mothers to me. That’s why I say being a mother is not a title, it’s a lifestyle. It’s what you do. It’s how you mother.”

At Lake Forest College, Charles joined a handful of clubs, but chose dance team as his priority. “In retrospect, some of the moves weren’t really cool,” he laughs, “but I was so enthralled with being part of a team, a coalition of humans you share something with.” His blossoming love for the written word led Charles to performance poetry. During college summers, Charles worked with high schoolers as a Writing Workshop Resident Assistant. His own confidence as a writer and poet grew, leading to more performance opportunities on campus.

Today he’s back at his former high school, working as program associate with North Chicago Community Partners, a nonprofit that seeks to bridge the achievement gap. One of their initiatives is the Quiet Zone, “a lunchtime program where students can eat in a safe place and talk with someone about what’s going on, relax, and be yourself in this room created for you.” Charles wants to be one constant in students’ lives, and he offers resources in response to their interests, from poetry workshops to guitar lessons.

“Every student has the potential to just be great, but you have to be diligent, and you have to be open to hear their stories. There’s always something you can learn. I’m trying to be more open to people, because we can both edify each other with a conversation and walk away smarter than when we entered into it.”

Two days a week he heads to a second job at Lake Forest Library, as he saves money for his own place, and thinks about graduate school. He’s a future thinker.

“Whenever I see a student who is apathetic about school, the first question I ask is, ‘What do you want to do after high school?’ Learning itself means nothing if you’re not searching for something bigger than what you’re already doing. So, I encourage them to have a purpose. You have to find something that gives you a strong reason to wake up in the morning.”

That’s part of why he’s back in North Chicago. “I don’t want to just see a 100 percent graduation rate at the high school. What good is a 4.0 student if they’re struggling with depression, anxiety, things at home? I want to bring the social and emotional into the educational sphere. If you can’t understand a student, there’s no way to teach them.”

“Imagine how many students have to worry about their home life? How on earth are you supposed to teach them,” he wonders, “when they haven’t had a meal in the morning, when they’re agitated, frustrated? If the teacher doesn’t realize that, she’s going to assume this student is just being apathetic, when in reality, it’s his background hindering his performance. Teaching is not just facilitation and curriculum. That’s why I’m so particular with how people teach, and how people respect our students.”

“Our students also need more black and brown teachers,” Charles emphasizes. “If they don’t see that, how can they even think, ‘OK, that’s a job I can potentially have’? You have all these students sitting down, and someone with white skin teaching standing up. Kind of an interesting dichotomy that’s created there.”

Through moves and college and now back to North Chicago, Charles has kept in contact with his kindergarten teacher, Ms. Criswell. He credits her alongside his mother and other adults in his life for his wisdom-beyond-his-years. “But I really have God to thank for all this grace. I’m really using my talents, my gifts, to help out as much as I can.”

I Have A Dream empowers children to achieve higher education and fulfill their leadership potential by providing them with guaranteed tuition support and equipping them with the skills, knowledge, and habits they need to gain entry to higher education and succeed in college and beyond. The North Chicago, IL I Have A Dream class of 2017 formed when an entire kindergarten class was adopted in 2001. Most participants—known as Dreamers—have now graduated from college and are pursuing their careers.