Horizons for Youth

From racks to resumes! ??? ?? This past weekend we met our high school seniors at The Water Tower Place for a morning of shopping at EXPRESS! They paired up with a mentor to shop for professional attire, gearing up for college and scholarship interviews…all at no cost to our students! ?? Thank you so much to everyone who came out, but especially to the staff at EXPRESS who patiently held it down in the dressing rooms and found our sizes! ??

Time flies when you're working toward the same mission! ??

Horizons for Youth is hiring for a Senior Manager, Academic Support Services! This role plays an integral part in ensuring our students with diverse learning needs (roughly 30% of HFY students) receive quality supplemental support and testing. Visit our website to learn more and for details on how to apply: https://lnkd.in/eXvCBMJG

Congratulations to DJ for his recent graduation from the?Hispanic American Construction Industry Association (HACIA) Pre-Apprenticeship Program! ?? After graduating from high school, DJ explored a few options to get real-world experience without having to go back to the classroom! With a little research and help from Horizons, DJ enrolled in this no-cost program with HACIA U to complete a pre-apprenticeship in general construction. He says, “I would also like to thank HFY for the tremendous amount of effort and dedication they put into all of their students. I can truly say without HFY I do not know what I would be doing. Throughout my 12+ years at HFY there has never been a dull moment and there was never anything I was afraid to ask, they have always been there and helped open up new doors that I thought wouldn’t open. I am extremely grateful that my family was chosen to be apart of HFY and can't wait to see what the future holds!“ DJ is currently working with Toyota Lincoln Park, but will soon be switching to ComEd to work as a lineman! ??

Should we make July 30th the official Horizons Volunteer Day? Today, our Partnership & Advocacy Team went to Baird offices for a Lunch, Learn, and Serve for #BairdGivesBack. Their intern team helped us pack over 60 Activity Kits which will get picked up by our students and families in August and September! Meanwhile, over at our office, volunteers from Northern Trust joined our high school seniors for round two of their summer workshop series! They had lunch and then kicked off their working session outlining their college list. Thank you to all our volunteers who supported our mission today!

The Senior Class of 2024 is just about ready to head off to college. Thanks to our friends over at OMI Industries (Natural Odor Control) our students got to shop at Target for their dorms and buy what they needed to kick off their freshman year in style! This is our 12th year partnering with OMI Industries (Natural Odor Control) for the Senior Shopping Spree, and we can’t thank them enough for their seamless execution each time! They’ve really mastered the shopping and packing experience for our students. ?? Here’s to partners who see a need and fill the need with much generosity! Thank you!! ??

Today our high school seniors kicked off their college readiness workshops. Roughly 20 seniors are working toward applying to college this academic year, which will be our largest cohort to-date! They kicked off the week working on their personal essays - discussing what makes a good one, tips on how to write it, and personal pieces to include! Thanks to our volunteers at Northern Trust, we got their wheels turning and have outlined some ideas! ?? ??

Horizons for Youth was recently featured in an article by Notre Dame Magazine. Check out the article below! "'I think the difference with Horizons is that it really welcomes families into a community and kind of walks with them through a student’s educational journey,” Leonard says. “It’s not just about academics. It’s not just about character development. It’s not just about linking families to services. It’s all of those things, and it’s continuous over time.'" https://lnkd.in/gbgbAEtX

?????? And so the adventure begins! A few weeks ago, Destiny graduated from Northwestern University with her degree in civil engineering. ?? Destiny joined Horizons in fifth grade and through her years attended St. Sylvester School and Northside College Prep. When we asked her to look back on the journey with us, Destiny shared, “Horizons for Youth has been an incredible support for both my academic and personal life. They have provided me with the resources needed to succeed in school, surrounded me with wonderful mentors, and introduced me to a community of like-minded students. I am especially grateful to Teri for continually checking in on me during my undergraduate years and to my mentor Christy for her invaluable guidance!” Destiny was also an Evans Scholar for all four years! In the weeks to come, she’ll be enjoying her summer for a bit then joining Burns & McDonnell as a civil engineer! Congrats, Destiny!

A little #Motivationmonday for your feed… ? Join us in congratulating Jaime, who recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with his degree in biomedical engineering! ?? ? Jaime joined Horizons in kindergarten, and through his years, attended The Frances Xavier Warde School School for elementary school and St. Ignatius College Preparatory for high school. He says, “Horizons has supported me by pairing me with my mentor, Alan, who also happened to be an engineer. He was able to advise me through the college application process and be a voice of support through it all. Horizons is not only a scholarship, but a family. I’ve been able to meet many people and learn about new careers all while having fun! Thanks to them, I am a proud graduate from Wisconsin-Madison!” Jaime was also a recipient of the University of Wisconsin Evans Scholar House for all four years, allowing him to graduate with NO DEBT.? ? We can’t wait to see what comes next for Jaime!?