This is What I’m Talking About
Odie Pahl
Last week I was invited to a special recognition for a group of eighth graders who were learning about college from the experts in the area. The College of Lake County in conjunction with Robert Morris College, and DeVry Universities sponsored a four session Taste of College for the residents of Warren Township High School District 121. About 100 young people from Woodland School District 50 and Gurnee School District 56 attended this priceless opportunity to explore the world of higher education.
Some of you may think- eighth grade students? Isn’t that pushing it a bit? Most kids that age are struggling with the demands that are coming too quickly at them as they prepare to become high school freshmen, why give them more to worry about? Well, in this case it may be exactly what these students need to succeed in life. Most of the students who participated in this program will be the first generation to attend college in their families.
Like it or not the demographics in Lake County are a changing. Since 1990, the Hispanic population has increased by 140%, Black/African American is up 32%, and the Asian numbers are up 103%. Our communities have become truly multi-cultural in just one decade and the trend is bound to continue. These are just the figures for the Lake County website for 2000. Just think what it actually is today on the other side of the new millennium.
Another amazing fact to digest- in 2000 there were 24% adults, 25 years and older, who have completed a Bachelors of Arts degree (higher than the Illinois average or the National) and only 21.4% have graduated from high school. Those are the facts. In today’s society, the majority of adults are not college graduates. In our minority population, those numbers are even higher. Did you think the number would be higher also?
Having two daughters growing up and attending school in Lake County, I know how hard it was to pick the right college, find the funds, and explore all the options available to them. This program was started to make the process for furthering a child’s education and attaining their dreams a whole lot easier regardless of their circumstances. It is hard to make choices without having some prior knowledge on the method for doing so.
The celebration on March 1st was to mark the completion of this Taste of College by this diverse group of eighth graders, to allow their families to share in those honors, to enjoy some pizza donated by local businesses, and meet some of those local role models who took the time to demonstrate to this growing population that they do matter in their community.
School Board members, Administrative personnel from Warren, Woodland and District 56 with some very supportive- school support staff, representatives from Lake County’s government and business circles, gathered on Thursday night at Warren’s O’Plaine Campus as each and every student received their recognition certificate and shook the hand of the local dignitaries.
The names of the dignitaries are not important. It was the collective effort that should be told to the public. Having their name in the paper was not their goal at this gathering and I wholeheartedly agree.
It seems to me these incoming Warren freshmen learned as much that night as they did in the other three academic sessions put together. Their families were also privy to the good vibes pouring forth in the cafeteria. Maybe now they know there is help when the time comes to look to college for their children’s future. If they succeed, each of us in Lake County cannot fail.
How rarely do we have a chance to see cultures coming together without a hidden agenda, but for the right reasons. Yeah, that’s what I an talking about! Until next time…
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