FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENT HEADED TO MIT

Marcus Russell, a participant in University of Chicago’s Collegiate Scholar Program, will be attending Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the fall. Photos provided by University of Chicago, Office of Civic Engagement
Marcus Russell, a participant in University of Chicago’s Collegiate Scholar Program, will be attending Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the fall. Photos provided by University of Chicago, Office of Civic Engagement

 First-Generation College student headed to MIT

BY TIA CAROL JONES
     Marcus Russell, who will graduate from Jones College Prep High School, will head to Massachusetts Institute of Technology this fall.
     The first-generation college student was a participant in the University of Chicago’s Collegiate Scholars Program, which was established in 2003, as a way to provide access and resources to Chicago Public School students. The program is free and lasts for three years. Since 2003, more than 700 students have completed the program.
   Students who have participated in the program have been accepted into the California Institute of Technology, Harvard University and the University of Chicago.
     Russell’s parents talked to him about the Collegiate Scholars Program. Then, he talked to some of his friends and found out that some of his classmates were in the program. He said they encouraged him to participate. He said what really attracted him to the program was the fact that it was the University of Chicago and he would get the opportunity to meet professors and students
and understand what college life would be
like for him.
      “That seemed really appealing to me. And, when I got there, I ultimately found I enjoyed the intimate, small cohort size, the cohort size was about 50 students each year. That meant I would get to know everybody in my cohort and create a tight sense of community,” he said.
     Russell said there is a wide range of classes that he wouldn’t be able to take at his high school. Russell said he will major in mathematics because he said he found out that he liked mathematics during his freshman year in high school. Russell said he became really close with the people in the program. He said to be around other students who have a love for learning was really encouraging. He said it enabled him to have conversations with them about their interests.
     During COVID-19, when the program had to go remote, the students were still able to have lively debates about subjects. “Even though we weren’t in person, there was still this great sense of interaction and one-on one discussions,” he said.
     Each year, there is a cohort of 50 students. Students apply to the program in the ninth grade, then in the summer of their sophomore year, they start the program. Students remain in the program until high school
graduation.
     Abel Ochoa, executive director of college readiness and access, said the program is focused on college preparation during the fall and summer. In the summer, the program focuses on exposing the students to the academic rigor of college.
     “Students take college level classes on the University of Chicago campus, taught by advanced graduate students and professors at the University. These courses range from humanities, mathematics, science and social sciences,” he said. “What we’re doing with the college level classes is exposing students to areas of academia they really don’t have exposure to, given their curriculum in Chicago Public Schools. We try to give them more exposure and give them a college-like experience of what it’s going to be like once they get to college in the future.”
     Ochoa said the program was able to leverage resources from the University of Chicago to go virtual during COVID-19. He said there was a check-in to see if students wanted to go virtual. He said they were flexible with their attendance policy. Students were able to get full access to University of Chicago resources because students in the program become part of the University of Chicago community with an email address and ID card.
      “Our faculty and our grad students and our undergrads who served as teaching assistants for these classes, through their partnership, I think they made it as engaging and impactful as it could have been, even if it wasn’t in person,” he said.
     Ochoa said that Russell is an example of a model participant of the program. “Marcus embodies what it means to be a Collegiate Scholar. Marcus has really maximized the opportunity that was placed and offered to him almost three years ago. He is someone who is invested and committed to the program and also has motivated his peers to be as invested as him. So, we’re very proud of Marcus and him maximizing our program. We knew he was going to accomplish some wonderful great things.” Ochoa added that Russell has “wonderful options ahead of him” for his next chapter in higher education.

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