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The Experts by Experience podcast is a series of discussions with college students from Chicago who are navigating the current rupture in their educational journeys.

Experts by Experience Podcast

Discussion series with CPS graduates navigating college during the pandemic

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Experts by Experience is a series of discussions with college students from Chicago who navigating the pandemic-induced rupture in their educational journeys. Our monthly discussions with students shed light on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on young Chicagoans who are pursuing higher education.

In each episode, our experts — Black and Latinx college students — reflected on their personal successes, the challenges exacerbated by the pandemic, and their needs as first-generation, low-income (FGLI) students. They provided perspective on how education institutions, organizations, and practitioners can better respond to evolving challenges. Through our conversations, three key learnings emerged for those working to create better outcomes for FGLI students. 

Experts by Experience Episode 6

Experts by Experience Episode 6

For our final conversation, we're joined by Carmen and LaShawndra, who recently graduated from a Noble Charter Network high school in Englewood. Carmen now attends a large public university in Illinois, and LaShawndra attends a small liberal arts college in rural Michigan. They offer us a look into the impacts of widely varying policies imposed by colleges to keep students and surrounding communities safe.

Experts by Experience Episode 5

Experts by Experience Episode 5

For our fifth conversation, we are joined by Sherelin and Yessenia, two CPS alumni who are currently enrolled in Roosevelt University and Dominican University. We focus on how they navigate their campuses as DACA students and their ideas about how colleges can better act as allies for DACA recipients and undocumented students. Check out the episode to learn more about what DACA is and how the Supreme Court's recent decision regarding DACA has impacted students' college persistence journeys.

Experts by Experience Episode 4

Experts by Experience Episode 4

For our fourth conversation, we are joined again by two CPS alumni, Guillermo and Jameelah, who graduated this spring from Stanford University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. We focus on their reflections on the Class of 2020's college journey, beginning with the 2016 presidential election and ending with nationwide protests against racial violence and injustice, as well as the need for universities to design and implement actively anti-racist policies.

Experts by Experience Episode 3

Experts by Experience Episode 3

For our third conversation, we are joined by two CPS alumni, Guillermo and Jameelah, who graduated this spring from Stanford University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. We focus on how they navigated through predominantly white institutions as students of color and the support systems that helped them make it through.

Experts by Experience Episode 2

Experts by Experience Episode 2

For our second conversation, we are joined by two CPS graduates, Kiara and Yoselin, who are currently enrolled in City Colleges of Chicago. We focus on how they have been navigating the shift to online instruction and the impact of the exclusion of undocumented students in coronavirus college relief.

Experts by Experience Episode 1

Experts by Experience Episode 1

For our first conversation, we are joined by two CPS graduates, Jessica and Yahriel, who are currently enrolled in 4-year institutions. We focus on how they have been navigating their transitions away from their physical campuses and the college communities many students have left behind in the last few weeks.

Looking for more? Explore To&Through’s student stories series to find out what CPS graduates have to say about their post-secondary experience in two-year and four-year institutions, their recommendations for education practitioners, and their hopes for the future. Learn how producing the podcast reminded the To&Through team that pushing first-generation, low-income (FGLI) students of color to develop “grit” can’t replace efforts to build stronger, long-lasting support systems for their specific needs.