In honor of the 10th anniversary of the Annual Educational Attainment of CPS students Report, our latest Student Stories series highlights ten CPS alumni at various points in their journeys with higher education. These stories provide powerful insight to better fully understand the diversity of experiences that exist among CPS students' college journeys. The series aims to amplify CPS alumni’s lived expertise so that we–Chicago's postsecondary success community–can continue to better understand the impact of our efforts and reflect on how we may better support their educational aspirations.
Zabiina
Zabiina is a first generation college Black CPS alumni who grew up in Austin, a Westside neighborhood of Chicago. She graduated from a medical preparatory high school in Bronzeville in 2018 and immediately pursued her bachelors at state university in Georgia. She is currently a mother and her dream profession is in the medical field.
Jeremy Hall is a Junior at an out-of-state historically Black college. He loves playing basketball and listening to jazz music. He grew up in the South Side of Chicago with his mom and studies Biology and Finance in college. He is persistent, hard-working, and personable.
Yan is an Asian American and first generation college student. He grew up on the Northside of Chicago and went to neighborhood high school in Edgewater. There, he developed a passion for business and is currently in his 2nd year pursuing his bachelors as a commuter student at a state school in Chicago. His dream is to work in business and travel around the world. “I really want to travel the world and visit the beauties of the world. One day if I’m going to be a dad, I don’t want to be the boring dad. I want to be the dad with cool stories and dad jokes.”
Tashawnna, a Black first-generation college graduate, was born and raised on the west side of Chicago. She graduated from a college prep charter high school and attended a public research university in Illinois from 2016 to 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice science. Currently, she serves as the alumni counselor at her alma mater, where she guides and supports students in their educational pursuits.
Andrew, a recently arrived student from Ecuador, arrived during his junior year of high school and now lives in Chicago with his two younger brothers and parents. He attended his neighborhood high school on the West side of Chicago. Although his parents graduated from high school in Ecuador, Andrew will be the first in his family to attend college. He is about to begin his studies at a community college, marking the start of his journey toward a bright future.
Valeria is a Mexican-American undocumented first generation college graduate from the Southeast side of Chicago. She is the first in her family to graduate from high school and from college. She is currently taking a gap year and gaining patient care experience as a certified nursing assistant and hopes to apply to Physician Assistant school.
Chris is a Black CPS alumni who grew up in Kenwood, a southside neighborhood in Chicago. He enrolled at a neighborhood high school academic center and attended his school from middle grades until high school graduation. He is currently a senior at an Ivy league school in New York and is double majoring in Government and Africana studies. On campus, you can find Chris jogging or performing as a DJ.
Nafia is a Pakistan first-generation college student who grew up on the Northside of Chicago. They graduated from their neighborhood Chicago Public School (CPS) high school in 2022 and was an International Baccalaureate Diploma student. They are currently enrolled at a private university based in a suburb outside Chicago and are pursuing their bachelors in neuroscience with a minor in English.
Ilya is a Latino and Middle Eastern student entering his second year at a private school in New York. As a child, Ilya grew up in Sweden and then moved to the United States on an American Visa. He is the first person in his family to attend college and studies mechanical engineering. Outside of his international baccalaureate (IB) program, he was manager of the badminton team, worked on the theater tech crew, participated in the French, photography, and engineering clubs, and the school band in high school.
