Times became harder than a 16-year-old girl imagined when her role model died about two years ago. The woman who was Briana’s “rock” was gone, and she didn’t know what to do. She started skipping school, and her grades fell. The te
Times became harder than a 16-year-old girl imagined when her role model died about two years ago.
The woman who was Briana’s “rock” was gone, and she didn’t know what to do. She started skipping school, and her grades fell. The teen felt as though she had no purpose in life until she partnered with a mentor from the Stay in School Initiative.
“I had so much going on last year, and they helped me stay in school. They believed in me. When my auntie, my role model, died, I was real upset about that, and I didn’t want to go back to school. My mentor encouraged me to stick with it,” said Briana, a sophomore at Lincoln Park High School who is in her second year of the program. Briana is one of about 2,000 students participating in the initiative.
The United Way and Exelon Corp. launched the program four years ago to serve students from 10 public schools in the Austin, Bronzeville/Grand Boulevard and Humboldt Park/West Town neighborhoods.
At the program’s inception in 2004, Chicago Public Schools statistics showed the citywide dropout rate for young Black males was at 61 percent and at 49 percent for Latino males. The current rate for Black males is 45.5 percent and 39.6 percent for Latino males.
The seven-month program helps students focus on essential workplace skills, academic issues and, at the end of the program, the students compete for limited summer internships.
“Since the inception of the Stay in School Initiative, Exelon has never wavered in its commitment to take on new challenges and fresh approaches to make this program such a remarkable success,” said Wendy DuBoe, chief community investment officer for United Way.
Another teen who is participating in the program for a second year was chosen to travel with Exelon to Washington, D.C. last year to help accept the Ron Brown Presidential Award.
The award is given to corporations for corporate leadership, and Exelon won for the Stay in School Initiative.
“Instead of taking VIPs from the company, they instead opted to take some students from the program,” said Susana Leyva, a spokesperson for the program.
Oakley, a student at Phillips High School, was chosen to make the trip because he was among many who “excelled” in the program.
The 15-year-old sophomore said he wanted to stay in the program to help him “further evolve in the corporate world after I graduate from college with a degree in graphic design.”
Briana and Oakley preferred that their last names not be used.
“The Stay in School Initiative continues to help even more students live up to their educational and career potential and achieve their dreams,” said Ruth Ann Gillis, president of Exelon Business Services Company and executive vice president of Exelon.
The program recently released its annual report card based on 369 students who participated most intensively in the program.
The report card stated:
• 93 percent of seniors graduated from high school or obtained a GED
• 86 percent were promoted to the next grade level
• 67 percent improved at least one grade in core courses such as math, science and English
• 75 percent had at least a 90 percent school attendance rate
• 71 percent increased their prosocial behaviors such as participating in leadership activities outside of school, getting more involved in the community and promoting nonviolent conflict resolution
Kathy Chaney can be reached at kchaney@chicagodefender.com.
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