Hope Chicago celebrated five years of providing hope to students with “Higher Ed Unfiltered,” a discussion on the state of higher education at Illinois State University.
The scholarship program has provided free tuition, housing and board, technology and emergency funds to over 3,000 Illinois families, with 170 scholars currently attending ISU.
“Coming from the inner city and the south and west sides of Chicago, many of us don't have plans or dreams to go to college,” said senior Hope Scholar Kavarrion Newson. “[College is] really not a dream or a conversation that we really have in our households.”
Hope Chicago has partnered with five Chicago high schools to offer a debt-free postsecondary or workforce opportunity to every currently enrolled student.
“The gift of Hope Chicago actually was like a breath of fresh air, or just a second chance of knowing that God had opened the door,” Newson said. “It was just a major open door, the largest, tallest, the widest open door that I have experienced this far in my life.”
Another senior Hope Scholar, Houston Reid, originally planned to go to trade school to be an electrician, but after the Hope Chicago announcement in his high school, he decided to pursue a college degree.
“[Without this scholarship,] I would not be here at all or the man I am today,” he said. “That changed my life. It sparked a flame inside of me, and it gave me hope, in a way.”
Reid now plans to pursue a career in entrepreneurship relating to risk management.
Hope Chicago CEO Aaron Kuecker said these families have the desire and ability to succeed, they just need a little support.
“We know that the talent exists in these neighborhoods like crazy, and if we can just remove the economic barrier, and then help with some of the navigation of higher ed, we'll see these students thrive,” Kuecker said.
He said most scholars are first-generation college students, which makes a college education an even bigger deal for the student and family.
“I think they feel actually just keenly aware of the opportunity that this provides for them, to really pursue the dreams that they have. So to watch them take flight with this opportunity is really incredible,” Kuecker said. “Our students here are succeeding at really really high rates, and so we're very proud.”
Hope at ISU
The Higher Ed Unfiltered event on Sept. 18 featured a roundtable discussion where Hope Scholars, ISU staff members, legislative and community leaders and Hope Chicago employees talked about the Hope Chicago scholarship experience and what challenges still remain for low-income and first-generation college students.
“It's really the voice of our students that help us and our university partners understand how best to align our support structures,” Kuecker said.
Reid said he feels like one of the biggest barriers that still remains is self-esteem.
“You kind of got to believe in yourself. Nobody's going to show up and do the work for you. At the end of the day, it's still on you,” Reid said.
One percent of the undergraduate student body at Illinois State are hope scholars. Over Hope Chicago’s five years of running, more than 270 ISU students have been supported.
This semester, ISU celebrated a record high retention rate of 78% among Hope Scholars.
The partnership between ISU and Hope Chicago started as just a legal agreement, but has since grown into a mutually beneficial relationship, according to ISU Associate Director of Academic Enhancement Keenan Wimbley.
“These outcomes demonstrate what is possible when institutions and organizations work together to remove barriers and expand access to educational opportunity,” Wimbley said. “Partnerships like this remind us that student success remains a shared responsibility.”
The Hope Chicago program puts a strong emphasis on helping a family succeed not only through scholars, but also through the parents of those scholars, supporting two generations at once.
Parents are eligible for a debt-free college education as soon as their child becomes a Hope Scholar. Over 440 Hope Parent Scholars are currently enrolled.
Hope Chicago is funded by the state of Illinois for a portion of its budget, and by corporations, philanthropic foundations and individual donors for the other portion of its budget.
Kuecker said that the program not only helps these scholar families, but also helps Illinois as a whole.
“When those students graduate from college with that earning power and without debt, they're more likely to buy a home and pay property tax. They're more likely to start a small business. They're more likely to spend their discretionary money in and around the neighborhood, they actually earn more, which means more revenue for state income tax,” Kuecker said.
Hope Chicago first launched in the fall of 2021. The first Hope promise to the five partnered Chicago schools was made in February 2022.
“Hope Chicago has been a safety net. I feel that it saved me from my community. It saved me from some of the pressures of my community, and it just has been the space where I've been able to become just a little bit more of who I think God has destined me to be,” Newson said.
