University of Illinois Prepares Graduates To Decrease Drop Out Rate With City Year
CHICAGO, IL (December 7, 2012) – 18 recent graduates of University of Illinois are acting on a passion of service after graduation. These alumni have committed to 1,700 hours, by giving a year of service with City Year. Not only are they serving their country, these leaders are addressing one of the major issues in our nation that is a leading cause of joblessness and crime, the high school dropout crisis. This year more than 2,500 corps members are serving as full-time tutors, mentors and role models to students in many of the nation’s underserved communities.
More than one million students- one every 26 seconds- give up on school each year. Fifty percent of the nation’s dropouts come from just 12 percent of schools. City Year corps members can choose to serve in one of our 24 sites, or choose to serve at a site where most needed. Of the 241 schools City Year serves nationwide, 75% are among the lowest performing 5% in their state.
“Majoring in history required me to engage on a scholastic quest informed by the humanities. While at University of Illinois, I was enrolled in courses that critically analyzed “the system,”… in which we are challenged to navigate. This inspired me to become a corps member of City Year. Through my corps experience, I can single handedly experience the legacies of the injustices I was educated on; and hopefully, amplify the whisper of change,” says Tezeru Teshome. Teshome, a 2012 alumnus of University of Illinois is currently serving at Harper High School in the West Englewood community of Chicago.
In exchange for a year of service with City Year, corps members receive a generous living stipend, a $5,550 Segal Educational Award, student loan forbearance on federal student loans, and health insurance. City Year also has over 70 “Give a Year” partnerships who offer corps members in exchange for a year of full-time service, 25%-100% tuition scholarships to qualified City Year corps and alumni.
City Year is an education-focused, non-profit organization founded in 1988, that partners with public schools to provide full-time targeted intervention for students most at risk of dropping out. In more than 20 communities across the United States and through two international affiliates, our teams of young AmeriCorps leaders support students by focusing on attendance, behavior, and course performance through in-class tutoring, mentoring, and after school programs that keep kids in school and on track to graduate.
Yours in Service,
Patrick Magner
Recruitment Manager | Alumnus ’09
City Year Chicago
36 S. Wabash Suite 1500 | Chicago, IL 60603
T: 312.423.7174 | F: 312.464.1736
pmagner@cityyear.org | www.cityyear.org