In Case You Missed It

SATURDAY ACADEMY RECAPS

February Saturday Academy

Our February Saturday Academy was an exciting Career Exploration Day with the theme of M.I.R.R.O.R.S.: Motivation through Inspiration, Representation, Role models, Opportunities, and Real Stories. Scholars had the opportunity to engage with industry experts from the fields of education, technology, healthcare and medicine, nonprofits, engineering and design, business, finance, entrepreneurship, law and social justice, STEM, media and communications, and the arts!

Presenters shared wisdom and knowledge through panel discussions and individual presentations, some with hands-on activities:

• Cosmetic chemist Nikisha Horn, who had Scholars create and market their own lotion in her session. 
• Educator Kia Banks had Scholars roleplay as chief of staff for the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association. Scholars worked in groups to address hypothetical dilemmas that Banks has seen come up in her career. 
• Journalist Adrienne Samuels Gibbs shared her experience as a Black journalist. After moving to Boston, she discovered that Black neighborhoods were not represented on maps. She talked to local cartographers, gathered evidence, and built a new story around the issue.

During the day’s closing seminar, students were asked: How do you see Black history represented in your daily life? One scholar replied, “A lot of things we use on a day-to-day basis were made by Black people, like traffic lights. That’s one of the most important innovations in history. It was created by a Black person and a lot of people don’t know that!”

March Saturday Academy

Our March Saturday Academy was a little different than usual, in that our seniors participated in retreat and our Jr. LINK Scholars went on a college visit to Loyola—their first of the year. The remaining Scholars met with their instructors and reflected on the previous Saturday Academy, which was centered around career development. Scholars spent some time doing self-assessment and group activities—particularly answering “would you rather” questions that focused on self-perception and real-life application.

Also, each cohort was introduced to their Capstone Project, which involves designing a PowerPoint presentation for the next Saturday Academy which will showcase their interests and goals in relation to the prompt they choose.

• Self-exploration and Identity: Scholars can present their four-year plan or present on who they are. This promotes the understanding of self and the need for planning ahead for what Scholars want for their future.
• Career Exploration: Each junior Scholar is tasked with either completing a job shadow or four informational interviews in order to create a short presentation on the career field they are learning more about.
• “Be the Change”: This prompt focuses on Scholars identifying their values, selecting a social justice issue/cause they would like to address, and presenting a plan to do so.

Scholars completed guided worksheets to organize their thoughts, including brainstorming ideas, identifying key ideas and challenges, and designing goals and strategies to achieve their goals. They enjoyed getting into groups to share their project outlines, exchanging feedback and lots of conversation and laughter.