100 Black Men of Chicago Host 16th Annual Scholarship Fair

100 Black Men of Chicago recently hosted their 16th Annual Scholarship Fair to expose students and parents to colleges and universities across the county and provide information on how to get into college and how to go about paying for it. Photo Credit: Provided by 100 Black Men of Chicago
100 Black Men of Chicago recently hosted their 16th Annual Scholarship Fair to expose students and parents to colleges and universities across the county and provide information on how to get into college and how to go about paying for it. Photo Credit: Provided by 100 Black Men of Chicago

100 Black Men of Chicago Host 16th Annual Scholarship Fair

BY KATHERINE NEWMAN

100 Black Men of Chicago recently hosted their 16th Annual Scholarship Fair at the University of Illinois at Chicago Pavilion. Representatives from over 100 colleges and universities were onsite to provide information about scholarship opportunities. There were also workshops held through out the day for potential students and their parents to learn more about paying for college.

100 Black Men of Chicago is an organization that works to improve the quality of life and enhance the educational opportunities of African- American males throughout the Greater Chicago area, according to their website.

“We have four areas that we focus on and those are mentoring, education, health and wellness, and economic empowerment. We have four mentoring sites in the Chicagoland area, one on the south side, one on the west side, one in the south suburbs, and one in the western suburbs. Our mentoring sites are free and we meet every Saturday during the school year from 10 a.m. to noon.

We have various activities for our young people that expose them ideas and information that can help them as they grow and develop in high school and into college,” said Carl H. Tutt, board president for 100 Black Men of Chicago.

Over 5,000 students registered online to attend the Scholarship Fair and there were close to 175 colleges and universities from across the country that participated in the event, according to Tutt.

“The Scholarship Fair allows our young people to learn and understand what it takes to get into college. We still have young people that are first-generation college students and because of that a lot of times the parents and guardians don’t know what the process is to help get their child get into school and this event helps with that process,” said Tutt.

The workshops that took place at the Scholarship Fair were geared towards students, parents, and guardians to make sure that the whole family understood what the necessary steps are for applying and being accepted to college and what to do after the student is accepted.

“When it comes to education, things are constantly changing, for instance, financial aid applications used to open up in January of each year but that has recently changed and now it’s October 1st. If you are not aware of that change you could be in a position to not get the financial aid that you need,” said Tutt.

The workshops provided up-to date information on financial aid, including advice on which colleges are affordable and what scholarships are available at the schools that were present that day.

“There are so many things that parents don’t know because they don’t have the time or they are not spending time with the college counselors at the school. Its important for parents to come to us and get the information that they need to make the best decision for their child,” said Tutt.

For more information on 100 Black Men of Chicago visit 100bmc.org.

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