Alumni Spotlight: Zachary Tobias, Class of ’23
We’re shining our Alumni Spotlight on Zachary Tobias this month. Now a freshman at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, Zachary grew up on the South Side of Chicago and learned about LINK in 8th grade from his mother’s friend who had a son in the program. Zachary went through the application and interview process and was accepted to his high school of choice, Brother Rice. His Mentor is Franklin Reynolds (see Mentor Spotlight).
“LINK prepared me beginning with my freshman year of high school,” Zachary said. “We met once a month; plus there were tutoring resources and a summer program I had to do. It gave me the chance to engage with other kids from high schools across the Chicagoland area, and being part of a Black organization, I was around other students who looked like me.”
“I was raised by a single mom, so we had a lot of struggles,” he continued. “LINK provided financial assistance through all four years of high school. It was such a big help! I never got that support from anyone else. Being a part of LINK was really amazing, and it still is. They’ve provided so many resources, things I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. They’ve been a tremendous help. I’m in my first year of college now, and LINK still supports me. They’re always by my side; they stick with me through thick and thin.”
Zachary Tobias (’23) with his Mentor, Franklin Reynolds (’98)
“My mentor, Franklin, has been such a big support, too,” Zachary added. “I never had a mentor prior to LINK, and he has definitely been a key resource for me, especially transitioning into high school and then to college. Now he brings more insight to college and thinking about after college, looking for a career. Having that role model really helps. I started out as an engineering major because I have some family members who are engineers, but Franklin helped me think about other alternatives, like business and entrepreneurship. He’s a sales engineer for Amazon, and because of him, I changed my major to business economics. Knowing the work he does, his hard work and dedication in a job that’s not easy, inspired me to go down the business route and pursue my bachelor’s and master’s.”
“Franklin is with me outside of the school atmosphere, too,” Zachary said. “He’s always very active with me. We do things together, go to baseball games and basketball games, and catch up on life—how things are going with my life, how things are going with his life. He’s an amazing mentor. He’s truly awesome, and I’m so glad I’ve had him by my side throughout high school and in my transition to college.”
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