A MESSAGE FROM the Executive Director
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Dear CSU Alumni Family,
The arrival of a new season brings with it new hope and new opportunity, fresh starts and second chances to extend grace to ourselves and each other. The past 18 months have challenged us all in ways big and bigger, but as COVID-19 infection rates continue to drop, and vaccination rates continue to rise, we press forward with renewed optimism and hope. Welcoming our incredible, resilient student scholars back on campus this Fall was such a balm to my spirit; a reminder that despite the myriad challenges we’ve faced, our future (guided by the next generation of leaders) remains incredibly bright.
Many of us have returned to our offices, at least part time, as we safely and carefully return to family gatherings, dinner with friends, and taking our children to public spaces for family fun. If the past year and a half has taught us anything it’s how very much human connections matter, how very much a simple hug from a friend, parent or sibling has the power to lift and soothe our spirit. We are not meant to go through this thing called life alone. We absolutely do need one another.
Earlier this month Chicago State Foundation and CSU hosted the 1stGEN Scholarship Gala Presented by Chase. Bringing nearly 300 guests (our village of support) together for a beautiful evening under the stars was nothing short of magic. Our fantabulous student scholars opened and closed the program and remain centered throughout. Proud CSU Alumni showed up in force in support of their university and the current generation of students following in their footsteps. I could not have been prouder to be part of such an incredible, resilient, and caring village.
If you have not done so already, won’t you please, please consider getting vaccinated? If not for your own sake, then do it for the other members of your village of love and support. In the end, we really are all in this…together.
Darrious Hilmon
Executive Director
Chicago State Foundation
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The Cougar Community
Comes Together for
1st Generation Students
The second annual 1stGEN Scholarship Gala: Evolution Presented by Chase was a huge success raising over $400,000 for the 1stGen Rise/Scholarship Fund, thanks in no small part to alumni that came out in force. With thousands of dollars from alumni and alumni-run business partners, one alumna stands out: Spring Capers. Ms. Capers is a CSU graduate from the class of 1983, an entrepreneur and long-time owner of Spring’s Place - The Hair Studio. Ms. Capers has also served on the Chicago State Foundation Board of Directors since 2019. In this role, she has helped the Foundation secure sponsors and donors for the Gala including one silver sponsorship, several smaller sponsorships and ticket purchases, including her own Spring’s Place - The Hair Studio sponsorship in addition to a dozen table guests she brought with her. Together, this group supported several 1stGEN scholarships for current CSU students and set the bar a little higher for next year’s event.
Thank you, Spring, for your consistent and unwavering support of CSU Scholars!
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Decades of Cougar Commitment
CSU alumna from the class of 1960, Peggy A. Montes brings decades of governance and fundraising expertise to the Chicago State Foundation. She's the current President of the Bronzeville Children's Museum, a former University Trustee and a current Foundation director advising the Executive Director, Darrious Hilmon, since relaunching the foundation in 2019. In doing so, she's had a hand in revising many of the foundation's policies and serves on the Foundation's development committee. In addition to sponsoring the 1stGEN Scholarship Gala: Evolution Presented by Chase, Ms. Montes has recently made a transformational gift to the Foundation building a new playground that will be named for her in the CSU Dr. David Kanis Child Development Center.
Thank you, Peggy, for your generous Cougar Commitment to CSU Scholars!
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1stGEN/Rise Scholarship Fund
Chicago State University has created an intentional campus community that provides a suite of wraparound cognitive and non-cognitive supports designed to propel the success of first-generation students from diverse populations. More than 60% of CSU scholars are the first in their families to attend college, and 78% are Black or Latinx. The greatest roadblock to first-gen college success isn’t the lack of talent or desire, but the lack of financial resources. Chicago State University helps to remove that barrier by way of the CSU 1stGEN/Rise Scholarship Fund supporting the cost of tuition for Rise Academy scholars in their freshmen and sophomore years at CSU. Consider joining our village of support with a gift today.
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Meet Esther Cano-Kraft
Director of the Rise Academy
Esther Cano-Kraft is CSU's new Director of the Rise Academy, bringing over 20 years of higher education experience to the role managing programs that support some of the most vulnerable college students toward graduation.
Esther moved to CSU from Ohio where she served in various roles at Cuyahoga Community College for 19 years. Most recently, she served as the program manager for the Hispanic Council Office where she was in charge of programming for over 2,000 Hispanic students across several Cuyahoga campuses. Programming included career fairs, conferences, academic advising, tutoring and peer support opportunities. Ms. Cano-Kraft was also the Chair of the Scholarship Advisory Committee for that office’s scholarship fund.
Ms. Cano-Kraft began at CSU in the spring semester. As the Director of the CSU’s Rise Academy, she oversees the programming that supports scholars in the program, which covers tuition and other expenses in the student's first year at CSU while producing wrap-around support services to better ensure the scholars remain in college and finish.
What convinced you to leave Ohio for this role; why CSU?
I’m originally from Chicago’s southwest suburbs, and so I wanted to be closer to my family, but I still wanted to continue my work in higher education with undergraduate students. What I liked about this position is that it was about first year students, specifically, and from predominantly marginalized groups, which is an area I am passionate about. I was one of those students, so I can relate pretty well to the obstacles they are facing.
Why is the Rise Academy so important for student success?
The Rise Academy lays the foundation for success with a sort of trial run. It starts with a five week program of practicing college by taking a course and all of the other little intricacies of college life like learning how to use the bookstore or order books online, get their IDs and laptops, find all of the important offices on campus, get familiar with the resources here to help them succeed, and being accountable for some specific tasks. It’s an immersion program that allows a new student to navigate into college life a little slower, touching all of these elements in digestible quantities. They're in a bubble for this period so that when the real semester begins, they have eliminated the fear which is often a significant distraction and catalyst for dropping out early. Students in the Rise Academy have an opportunity to concentrate more on their academics which sets them up for nothing but success.
What are you most excited about for the Rise Academy scholars?
I’m excited that they don’t have to worry about tuition. One of the biggest obstacles is “how am I going to pay for all of this”, so the Rise Academy takes that burden away for their first two years, so the student can really concentrate on their academics.
How can CSU alumni best support the Rise Academy?
Alumni can support the Rise Academy in a number of ways. They can be a mentor to our students and in their own circles promote the Rise Academy and the campus or even get their employers to solicit internship students from CSU’s Office of Career Development, but the easiest way to support Rise Scholars is, of course, to contribute to the program’s scholarship fund. Rise is only a freshmen year program with scholarship dollars through their sophomore year, but the scholars need more help getting to graduation,
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Making History
This summer, CSU alumna Annette Nance-Holt became the first woman of color to lead the Chicago Fire Department in the department's 162-history. The Chicago City Council voted this summer to approve the selection of Nance-Holt, a more than 30-year veteran of the CFD, as the new Chicago Fire Department Commissioner.
Previously the acting commissioner before her historic appointment in June, Nance-Holt was named the First Deputy Commissioner in 2018, the first woman to hold that No. 2 role in Chicago. She also served as Deputy District Chief, Battalion Chief-EMT, Captain-EMT, Lieutenant-EMT and as a firefighter.
Nance-Holt has said that Chicago's fire department must have firefighters and leadership that mirrors the communities it serves.
"As a child, I never laid eyes on either a female firefighter or a firefighter of color," Nance-Holt said in a statement. "There were no role models who looked like me, and so I never thought that becoming a firefighter, which was my dream, would be a possibility for me. As Fire Commissioner, I intend to show the next generation of young black women that they too can achieve any and everything they set their minds and hearts to."
Congratulations Commissioner Nance-Holt!
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Cougar Congratulations!
Marc Bell '00 - Appointed by Governor Pritzker to serve as a Member of the Illinois Gaming Board
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Remembered with Love
Jeffrey M. Bryant, ‘87
Carl E. Jordan, Sr. ‘78
Ronald R. Masiewicz, ‘94
Patrick McDonald, ‘81
Claribel “Belle” Radcliff
Carrie Smith, ‘75
Carol Rose Stark Neal
Richard F. Strauss, ‘67
Daniel Wenc, ‘71
Robbie Wooden
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SUBMIT A CLASS NOTE
Share your significant accomplishments (i.e., promotions, new jobs, retirements, special recognitions or honors) with your fellow alumni!
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UPDATE MY ALUMNI PROFILE
Update your Alumni Profile to receive exciting campus news and invitations to alumni events. Your information will never be shared publicly.
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Last Chance to Take A Shot at
Starting the Conversation
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Many young Chicagoans are still deciding if they will get the COVID-19 vaccine. We are proud to work with our partners to provide culturally relevant, science-based, factual guides about COVID-19 vaccination, but
we need your help as a Vaccine Ambassador.
We are in search of ten, one-minute videos that discuss why everyone must be vaccinated. Using our partner materials, we want to hear from you on how you would start a conversation with your friends, family, and community to make a well-informed decision about vaccination.
We will select ten winners who will have their concepts produced professionally and receive a $1,500 cash award. The final product can include spoken word, photography, music, dance, and other sources of media.
The deadline to submit your idea is Monday, October 24, 2021!
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VIRTUAL CAREER FAIR WEEK
open to current students and alumni
November 1 - 4, 2021
brought to you by the
CSU CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTER
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- Upload your resume
- Attend Career Center Preparation Workshops
- Do your homework on each company
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Follow us on social media |
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Chicago State Foundation | 9501 S. King Dr., ADM 126, Chicago, IL 60628 | csu.edu |
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