Hi LEARN Alumni,

Enjoy a quick update from one of our LEARN leaders!

LEARN is fortunate to have generous supporters that believe in our mission and want to help our scholars achieve. Our donors provide the resources to help our schools have high quality teachers, strong social emotional learning programs, and tools that optimize student achievement. We are fortunate to be supported by generous families, national foundations and corporations, including the Charter School Growth Fund, Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, and Illinois Tool Works. We are also grateful to have support from Education Forward DC to open our first school in Washington D.C. in Fall 2021. This campus will be located on Joint Base Anacostia Bolling (JBAB), and will educate military children and children from D.C.’s Ward 8 community. 

Collectively, our supporters provide the tools we need to provide a strong academic foundation, support our expansion efforts, and ultimately help us achieve our goal of 50% college completion by 2035.

All the best,

Sonia Jones
Director of Development
News
  • Jaylen Jones '12 for receiving his culinary degree and officially becoming a chef!

  • Dominique Jordan '17 her face mask business.

  • Deja Rocquemore '12 for completing her Criminal Justice Degree from National Louis University

  • Destiny Lawrence '15 for starting her own clothing line: Legacy!

  • Jadah Jones '10 for receiving her Master's of Education.
Opportunities
Summer Legal Academy
The Miami Law Undergraduate Summer Legal Academy is for college students who have considered law school or have demonstrated interest in the law fields. This program is free of cost and runs for 3 weeks (July 6-24th) where you can have small group discussions, meet with professionals, and participate in mock trials. The application deadline is June 22nd and will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Osmosis Scholarship
The scholarships signify Osmosis’s continued support of education in the health sciences. Training health professionals has never been more important and they would like to help students on this journey. They're providing six scholarships—one 5,000 dollar USD award and five individual 1,000 dollar USD awards—to selected students pursuing a degree in medicine, nursing, or other health science-related degrees.

TikTok Careers
TikTok is hiring for various roles, across the entire country in sectors such as sales, operations, marketing, and more. If you are interested in pursuing a career with a fast-growing company striving to further develop look here. TikTok prides itself on being a company of creators and aspires to connect and empower them. They also have internships!

For more Job, Scholarship, and Internship information visit the LEARN Alumni Page.
Things to do!
Now that Chicago has officially entered phase 3 of reopening efforts, residents can go out and enjoy various activities or participate in virtual events! So be sure to check out some of the things you can participate in this month.

If you love listening to Jazz music check out the virtual DC Jazz Fest, or if you're using this time to hone your professional skills you might be interested in this webinar about the art of public speaking. The Drive-In at Lincoln Yards will officially open June 25th with a screening of Ferris Bueller's Day Off!

Today also marks Juneteenth which is a cultural holiday that celebrates the final group of slaves received notice of freedom. To celebrate, various restaurants are having Juneteenth specials in which items are only $6.19 so go visit these black owned restaurants and jumpstart your own celebration!
Tip of the Month
Click the image to hear from the author of "So You Want to Talk About Race"
We wanted to take the time this month to acknowledge everything that has been going on in the world. The murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery is not shocking, we have all seen countless Black and Brown bodies be subjected to police brutality and racist belief systems which is why we must continue to say their names and talk about it. We know that the conversations being held right now are hard, but necessary if we want to continue taking steps forward which is why our tip this month will be centered around how to discuss race.

Whether you are Black, a non-Black POC, or White we must all have these conversations with our friends, families, acquaintances to combat misconceptions and move forward as a whole. Discussing race can be hard as it is emotional and can be traumatic, or you may be scared of saying the wrong thing. Here are some steps you can take:

  1. Educate yourself: There are various books that touch on these issues which you can buy from this Black-owned Chicago bookstore. Click the button below for suggested reading!
  2. Check Your Privilege: remember that education and class levels are privileges as well!
  3. Listen: Make sure you are validating the other persons feelings, avoid confrontational statements such as "you're wrong." Instead ask them "why do you feel this way," "and "That is an interesting point, but I have a few questions about it."
  4. Understand: you will not solve racism or change opinions in one conversation but the point is to have an intentional dialogue where you can communicate your views.
  5. Be empathetic: If you are choosing to engage in these conversation be prepared to consider everyones emotions and experience!
Don't forget intersectionality (the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage.) while discussing these issues. Black Trans Lives Matter, Black Gay Lives Matter, and Black Women Lives Matter also!
Alumni Spotlight
These alumni are recognized for exuding the core values of high expectations and bringing the LEARN mission to life.
Malik Smith '12
Real Estate Agent, Keller Williams Atlanta

Malik Smith graduated from LEARN Romano Butler in 2012 and went on to attend Holy Trinity, where after graduating he discovered his passion for real estate. Malik felt as though real estate was pre-destined for him as his mother had been involved in the field as well. In January of 2019 he enrolled in real estate school and received his license. Managing the online classes was not an easy task but he learned the power of connections that lead to a jumpstart in his career. Malik has now joined a new firm in Atlanta where he plans to sell more homes and build his credit repair company which he began to help his clients.
Congrats to all our College Seniors on completing your degrees. We are beyond proud of you all!
LEARN Charter School Network | alumni@learncharter.org | www.learncharter.org