by givebackdv | Aug 5, 2022 | Scholars
Earlier this summer, Alexandria Wilson traveled to Memphis, Tennessee to attend a two-week intensive academic, community, and field experience where students from across the country learned about issues pertaining to social justice and inequity, particularly for people living in poverty and on the margins.
When we spoke to Alexandria about her experience, she said, “It was a very full-circle moment for my life, because I learned [a lot about the civil rights movement] outside of school — and some of it in school — but to see [those places in person] was something I could never imagine me being able to do if my university hadn’t sponsored me to go to the trip.”
Alexandria was able to visit the Lorraine Motel, the site of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, among other historically important sites. She said her family is from down south, so she could have been standing in the very spot where her ancestors were sold into slavery. “I cried — it was very emotional,” she said.
Alexandria is a Give Back Scholar attending Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois, and she was selected to participate in the program by the McLaughlin Social Justice Institute of Lasallian Practice.
Her favorite part of the trip, she said, was fostering a community of people she met in the program. “I feel like I made lifelong friends,” she said. People who are interested in the same things.
Together, they spent time working with Catholic Charities to pack meals for those in need. Alexandria explained that the trip was split into two sessions and they “competed” to see who could pack more meals. (Alexandria’s group beat the record set by the first session.) “To know that I was giving my time for the greater good and for a bigger cause than myself was very powerful for me,” she said.
This fall, Alexandria will be entering her senior year at Lewis University, where she plans to finish up her double major in Paralegal Studies and Peace & Justice Studies — with a minor in Political Science and a pre-law concentration. Her #1 goal coming out of university is to move on to law school, and her ultimate dream is to one day become a judge. But before that happens, she’d love to work as an attorney for the public defender’s office — standing up for the “little guy.”
When asked what receiving the Give Something Back scholarship has meant to her, Alexandria said, “The Give Something Back scholarship has allowed me to take on things that I never expected I would do. […] Give Something Back allowed me to believe in myself and see that I am worthy.”
When it comes to giving back after graduation, Alexandria said she wants to start her own small mentorship program to mentor kids who are interested in a career in law. She explained that getting into college is hard, but navigating graduate-level programs can be just as daunting, if not more so.
She’d also love to branch out by starting a scholarship of her own. She has a couple ideas on the types of students she’d like to give scholarships to and for what purposes. Specifically: helping students afford LSAT prep. Alexandria said it can be expensive, and she doesn’t want the Law School Admissions Test to keep anyone from reaching their dream of becoming a lawyer or judge.
Alexandria will have plenty of time to think about how she’d like to give back over the next few years, and we’re sure it will be on her mind a lot.
She said, “In the future, giving back is definitely my top priority. Giving back to every organization that has given to me. But I don’t have everything planned out…yet!”
Good luck with your final year of undergrad, Alexandria! We can’t wait to see where you go from here!
by givebackdv | Jul 19, 2022 | College Success
Blackburn College recently hosted a group of students for a unique campus experience through a partnership with Give Back. A nonprofit organization, Give Back supports students who have faced varying types of adversity by providing them with personal mentorship and scholarship support. While Give Back students toured several colleges and universities in Illinois, they were able to experience first-hand what life would be like as a college student and as part of the Blackburn community.
With similar missions and commitments to making college education more attainable, the partnership between Blackburn and Give Back is an excellent fit. Give Back students are selected as early as ninth grade and benefit from their college readiness programs and campus visits. As a collegiate partner, the College works with Give Back to provide resources to give students a chance at a higher education degree. Blackburn has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top Liberal Arts Colleges in the Nation for Social Mobility in their Best Colleges lists for 2020, 2021, and 2022.
“Blackburn has always had a significant commitment to serving first-generation college students and providing access to a transformational education,” Dr. Steven Lambert, Vice President for Inclusive Enrollment, said. “Students with economic hardship are afforded the opportunity to rise through their education and ultimately their careers with critical assistance. Blackburn is uniquely qualified to help young people of all backgrounds achieve their dreams through a college degree.”
During the overnight adventure, visitors were able to learn about the diverse academic programs and student engagement activities available on campus. They reviewed the numerous opportunities they would have to build a full resume along with a degree as part of the College’s nationally-recognized Work Program. The group even joined a “haunted campus tour” led by current Blackburn students.
“One of the essential factors in Give Back’s efforts focuses on a student’s need for housing and food. It’s so important to provide a strong learning and living environment that will set students up for success. That is also why this overnight experience is so vital,” Lambert continued. “Blackburn was proud to answer the call when Give Back first sought collegiate partners and we are thrilled to continue this strong connection with an incredible organization.”
About Blackburn College
Founded in 1837, Blackburn College is a four-year, Presbyterian-related, co-educational liberal arts college located in Carlinville, IL. One of only ten federally-recognized Work Colleges, Blackburn has the only program in the nation fully managed by students. Balancing academic rigor and experiential learning, each student at Blackburn gains tangible experience and develops critical skills by contributing to their community, all while building a resume and earning their degree. The Center for Education & the Workforce at Georgetown University ranked Blackburn as a top performer for Earnings-Price Return (#1 in Illinois, #10 in the U.S.) and Net Price (#1 in Illinois; #11 in the U.S.). The Washington Monthly twice ranked Blackburn as the best baccalaureate college in Illinois.
by givebackdv | Nov 17, 2021 | Scholars
We recently spoke with an exceptional Give Back Scholar named Lay Mu.
Lay is a Give Something Back Scholar currently attending Northern Illinois University. There, he plans to study nursing so that one day he can help people for a living. He is glad to be attending university in the United States — he says that where he is from “education lacks meaning and you can’t use it for anything.”
Lay is referring to the Karen refugee camp where he was born. The Karen are an ethnic group who are originally from southern Burma/Myanmar — though Lay’s family is part of a group who were forced to migrate to a refugee camp in Thailand.
The story of the Karen people was recently told through an art exhibition at Northern Illinois University — put together by their Center for Burma Studies. The exhibition’s full title was, The Art of Surviving: The Journey of the Karen Refugees in Illinois and ran from August 24 through November 12, 2021.
Lay told us his favorite part of the exhibit was a reduced-scale model of a house built by the Karen people. Lay assisted the artists with recreating the house to be similar to the one he used to live in. “The exhibit gives a voice to all the Karen refugees out there and what is currently happening to them,” Lay said.
Lay is very appreciative of the Give Something Back scholarship that has allowed him to attend NIU. “The moment I opened the letter, windows of opportunity opened and I had hope for my future,” he said.
Though he has big plans for that future, Lay is currently focusing on school. And he would advise other students to do the same: “Work hard on your studies. Life might seem to go slow, but believe it or not, it goes very fast. So go out there and learn and better yourself — and always give back.”
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Thank you for sharing your journey with us, Lay. We look forward to seeing your hard work pay off in the years to come!
by givebackdv | Aug 20, 2021 | Scholars
We recently spoke with a wonderful Give Back Scholar named Callie Walsh.
Callie Walsh is a Give Something Back Scholar from Lisle Senior High School, where she is involved in several clubs and organizations. She is the president of the Lisle High School Thespians Troupe as well as the Art Club, and also served as the director for a mental health and drug abuse awareness program called “Operation Snowball.” She said her biggest pastime is volunteering, and she is a teen leader through a local group called “Lisle Teens with Character.”
Like others her age, Callie enjoys hanging out with friends. She also loves to paint, and is currently working on an art portfolio about the future of energy. Her guilty pleasure is Star Trek — in fact, she recently visited the “future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk” in Riverside, Iowa.
“Education is very important to me and my family, so naturally, I’ve always known I wanted to go to college. What I didn’t know was how I was going to do it. Life was not always kind to my family. When I was in the fifth grade, my mother was diagnosed with cancer. As I was the only other one in the household, I would help her get dressed and do other chores around the house. My mother, being the role model she is, stayed strong, and despite still suffering from chronic illnesses today, she IS cancer-free. In the seventh grade, my father went to jail for driving under the influence, which was very hard for me. I learned that this wasn’t even his first time being incarcerated.”
“I never allowed myself to dream of going to a four-year university because my family never had much money. I told myself I would live at home and go to community college for two years, all dependent on, of course, how much money I could save up. When I got the letter that I was accepted as a Give Something Back scholar, my entire world opened up. I could actually go off to college like my friends; I could stay in a dorm like all the girls do in the movies.”
Callie hopes to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign next year to study agricultural and biological engineering. She would love to study abroad and participate in different types of research and internships.
“University of Illinois has so much to offer me and I could not be more excited to pursue a degree there. After college, I hope to travel and see the world. None of this could be possible without the Give Something Back scholarship. Thank you again, Mr. Carr, for everything. I am so honored to be a Mary Francis Carr award recipient.”
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Thank you for sharing your journey with us, Callie. We look forward to seeing your hard work pay off in the years to come!
by givebackdv | Aug 11, 2021 | Scholars
We recently spoke with a stellar Give Back alum named Ignacio “Nacho” Rios.
After finishing up at Joliet Central High School in Illinois, Ignacio moved on to Lewis University and recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science (though Lewis University recently redubbed the program as “Health and Human Performance”).
Afterward, he was accepted into the Post-Secondary Biomedical Program at Lewis and will be returning for three semesters to complete the curriculum. This program will fulfill his prerequisites for a physician assistant program. He’s aiming to apply for a physician program by 2023 which is his ultimate career goal.
After graduating this year, Ignacio has taken more time to reflect on how much the Give Something Back scholarship and organization have impacted his life and that of his family.
“Without this scholarship, my opportunities and experiences would have been much harder to achieve and obtain. I have been very fortunate with this scholarship and remind myself every day to take full advantage of what has been awarded to me. I truly cannot imagine my life without the people and the experiences this scholarship has allowed me to have. I never thought I would be the role model in my family. The first to graduate from a university,” he said.
Ignacio explained that he plans to ‘give back’ by speaking and mentoring through the scholarship, expressing how fortunate he has been to have amazing and motivated mentees so far.
His advice for other Give Back scholars?
“Take full advantage of the resources, connections, and of course the experiences that come with this scholarship. Do not hold back asking for help or questions. The family that is Give Back is here for us.”
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Thank you for sharing your journey with us, Ignacio. We look forward to seeing your hard work impact many young lives with dreams just like your own!
