Hope Chicago Celebrates Parent Scholars

Hope Chicago recently celebrated participants in its Parent Scholar Program. PHOTO BY HOPE CHICAGO.
Hope Chicago recently celebrated participants in its Parent Scholar Program. PHOTO BY HOPE CHICAGO.

Hope Chicago Celebrates Parent Scholars

By Tia Carol Jones

Shelia Moore had been retired for five years when she decided to take advantage of the opportunity to participate in Hope Chicago’s Parent Scholar program. Her daughter Dominique Moore, who is completing her senior year at Chicago State University, is a Hope Chicago Scholar. 

Shelia Moore is in aviation at Olive-Harvey College, learning the mechanical engineering parts of aviation, but her passion is to fly. While she is getting her Bachelor’s Degree in Business, she hopes to have her own helicopter tour business in the future. Moore said the program has been a blessing and a God send for her and her daughter.

“My daughter doesn’t have to pay for college, I don’t have to pay for college. The program is just exceptional, the staff members, the founders, all of them are great. Who wouldn’t want to be part of a great thing like that,” Shelia Moore said. She added that there is no financial strain and the opportunity is great.

Moore, along with other parents who are in the Parent Scholar program recently gathered at Kennedy-King College to celebrate the milestone of having more than 150 Parent Scholars.

Hope Chicago, which was founded in 2022, provides students with access to post-secondary opportunities debt free. The Parent Scholar Program supports parents with academic and career pathways. The two-generation model’s mission is to provide opportunities for families, which can change the trajectory of their lives.

Ashley Wise was laid off from her job during the summer and she reached out to a parent advocate who was able to act as a bridge for her and her current job. She said the experience has been positive for her and her daughter, who is a freshman at UIC and a first-generation college student.

“It’s just helped us out tremendously having their support,” Wise said.

Wise said she would tell other parents who have access to the program to take advantage of the opportunity to participate, because it is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Shelia Moore said the journey for both her and her daughter has been great. Dominique is studying pre-med at Chicago State University.

“Hope is giving you the opportunity to pursue your dreams and goals and your vision,” Shelia Moore said.

Michele Howard, Chief Program Officer at Hope Chicago, said that with the two-generation program it was important for parents to know Hope Chicago would work for their traditional age scholar and themselves. Hope Chicago has also expanded its team and added more colleges and universities and career pathway partners. The goal is to position Hope Chicago to better position families.

Last year, there were 50 parents. This year, there are about 160 parents. Howard said it shows there is a lot of room for growth with the parent program. Hope Chicago wants to be able to put parents who have completed the program in the room with parents who are starting and in the process of going through the program as a way for them to be encouraged. 

Howard said Hope Chicago is looking for more parents to recognize that they can make a difference in their future through the program. In order to grow the parent program, staff members are reaching out to the parents on a more consistent basis to let them know about their options to participate in the program. Howard said that the goal is to change communities.

“Communities are made up of families and what we believe this opportunity has done is really positioned a family to dream bigger. Not to just figure out what they can do for the moment, but to really start thinking about careers and pathways,” she said.

For more information about Hope Chicago, visit www.hopechicago.org.


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