Last week the City Colleges of Chicago held a Cording Ceremony at Malcom X College, where they celebrated the Star Scholars who are earning associate degrees during the 2022-23 school year.
According to a release on April 21, the ceremony was also put on in honor of Chicago Public Schools and City Colleges of Chicago partnering to provide thousands of young Chicago residents with the opportunity to earn a post-secondary degree. The ceremony featured Jocelyn Romero, who was part of the Harold Washington College Class of 2023, and also Vashon Jordan who is a Kennedy-King College alum currently working as the director of media and photography for Governor J.B. Pritzker’s office.
“Our Star Scholars worked hard to earn their associate degree," Chancellor Juan Salgado of City Colleges of Chicago said in the release. "It wasn’t an easy road, but they did the work and persevered. Students have shared that earning this degree is something they will cherish forever, and we are grateful to have been here to support them. Our Star Scholars’ success confirms that when you remove financial barriers and create a supportive environment, college dreams are realized.”
The Star Scholarship program was created in 2015 and pays for tuition and books for up to three years at City Colleges after applying for financial aid, the release stated. Qualifying students are graduates of a Chicago Public School or Big Shoulder Fund Catholic High School that earned a 3.0 GPA or higher.
The program has had more than 15,000 graduates named Star Scholars since it was launched, with most coming from Chicago Public Schools. The release added that 973 Star Scholar students will be graduating this year, and more than half the Star Scholars will transfer to a four-year university within a four year period.
The City Colleges of Chicago release stated that the program is part of the Chicago Roadmap, which partners the Chicago Public Schools and City Colleges of Chicago to help students get on a path to college and build the way toward a successful career. It provides access to programs, as well as advising, career exploration and support to increase student outcomes in college enrollment, getting a degree and being employed.
“This is one of the amazing education partnerships that makes Chicago unique,” said CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. “By working together, we are making sure that our students have a clear and affordable pathway to a post-secondary degree. Thousands of our talented students and their families have chosen City Colleges of Chicago as their first step to an amazing future.”
Some of the top schools Star Scholars transfer to are Chicago State University, Oak Point University, University of Illinois Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University and DePaul University, the release stated.