Chicago Scholars Foundation Launches New Leadership Center to Guide Students Through College Access, Success, and Early Career Development
The Chicago Scholars Foundation has opened a new, expanded workspace designed to accelerate leadership and career readiness across Chicagoland. The 11,000-square-foot Chicago Scholar Community, Leadership and Resource Center—located at 247 S. State Street, Suite 700 in Chicago’s Loop—creates a dedicated home for the organization’s five-year college access and college success curriculum, plus a two-year post-graduate leadership development track.
A strategic home for growth and opportunity
The new Leadership Center is a central element of Chicago Scholars’ growth plan: moving from enrolling roughly 350 new students each year to reaching more than 1,000 college-bound high school students by 2017. The facility will host workshops, mentor sessions, professional development programming and community events that support participants across every stage of the program.
Dominque Jordan Turner, President and CEO of the Chicago Scholars Foundation, explains the broader aim: “Our mission is more than philanthropy. Our seven-year success program is an economic strategy for the city, offering under-resourced students the guidance and resources they need not only to gain college admission, but to graduate, secure internships and begin leadership careers here in Chicago.”
Comprehensive, long-term student support
Since 1996, more than 1,200 Chicago Scholars have completed the program, achieving a 100% college acceptance rate and an 88% college graduation rate within six years. Unlike programs that focus only on college applications, Chicago Scholars supports students from their junior year of high school throughout college and into the early years of their careers.
The Scholar journey begins in junior year with individualized college counseling, scholarship application assistance and one-to-one mentoring. When students matriculate, the program continues with peer mentoring, university partnerships, life skills courses, academic planning, degree selection help and ongoing financial aid counseling. Since 2009, Scholars have been awarded more than $80 million in merit aid—a reflection of the program’s intensive preparation and advocacy on behalf of its students.
Post-graduate transition and career partnerships
After graduation, Scholars enter a two-year post-baccalaureate program focused on career readiness. Participants receive career coaching, access to internships and entry-level opportunities, and connections to an exclusive network of more than 65 employer partners across Chicago. These relationships bridge the gap between higher education and the workforce, helping Scholars begin professional careers in the city.
Corporate partners—including financial firms, research institutions and major Chicago employers—provide mentorship, internship placements and professional development opportunities. Mentors from these organizations help Scholars build networks, practice workplace skills and navigate the transition to full-time employment in Chicago’s competitive job market.
Voices from the community
Alumni remain a vital part of the program’s ecosystem. Olivia Villarreal, a member of the 2011 Scholars class and a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, reflects on the program’s impact: “As a first-generation college student, the application process was daunting, but Chicago Scholars provided every resource imaginable. Now, having completed internships and preparing for law school, I’m working to bring alumni together to support current Scholars. We must grow as resources for ourselves, our families and our communities.”
Longtime supporters underscore the program’s value to the broader business community. Michael Sacks, CEO of GCM Grosvenor, highlights how college-readiness and professional skills strengthen Chicago’s workforce: “Critical thinking, problem-solving and professional socialization are precisely the skills businesses need to remain competitive. Chicago Scholars helps prepare high achievers to enter top colleges and the workforce, and we’re proud to invest in the future of Chicago by supporting their work.”
Building a pipeline of civic and business leaders
Chicago Scholars emphasizes that its participants represent a diverse talent pool drawn from every neighborhood and every high school across the city, with a longstanding partnership with Chicago Public Schools. “Chicago businesses and corporations should view our Scholars as a diverse pipeline of the brightest young minds in Chicago,” says Jordan Turner. “At full scale, our goal is to have 5,000 students in the pipeline who will become the next leaders of our city.”
About the Chicago Scholars Foundation
Founded in 1996 as a scholarship-granting organization, Chicago Scholars has evolved into a distinctive seven-year mentoring and support program that begins in a student’s junior year of high school. Its mission is to provide talented, academically ambitious, and underserved students from every neighborhood and high school in Chicago with the guidance and resources necessary to access college, succeed academically, and launch careers. Scholars invest in their own futures while contributing to the economic competitiveness and leadership capacity of Chicago for years to come. For more information, visit www.chicagoscholars.org.
