As thousands of students celebrated their college decisions across the nation on National Decision Day on May 1, 2023, the ISU College of Education celebrated our Teach Chicago Tomorrow (TCT) Pathways scholars for completing their associate degree and transferring to Illinois State University.
Upon completing their associate degree at City Colleges of Chicago, students will transition over to ISU this month to complete their bachelor’s degree as a part of the Teach Chicago Tomorrow Pathways Program. In partnership with Chicago Public Schools and City Colleges of Chicago, Teach Chicago Tomorrow aims to create a diverse teacher pipeline program for and with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students.
Uniquely, TCT Pathways students opt out of attending classes at our home campus in Normal. Instead, students take their courses as School of Teaching and Learning students in a Chicago-based classroom and complete their clinical’s and year-long student teaching experiences in ISU partner CPS schools.
The celebration took place over lunch in downtown Chicago. Students were recognized for the milestone of completing their associate degree and excelling academically. All four scholars were awarded a College of Education Scholarship and ISU’s Star Scholarship. ISU’s Star Scholarship ($10,000 value) is awarded to incoming STAR Scholar transfer students from City Colleges of Chicago that have a 3.0+ GPA.
The event concluded with a pledge circle—an opportunity for staff, faculty, students, and family members to share their commitment to each other. The room was filled with pride, happy tears, and reminders of resilience. “This is the American Dream,” a student shared as she reflected on her personal academic journey. Most participants of Teach Chicago Tomorrow identify as first-generation college students.
After working with these students for the past two years, we are thrilled to welcome the first cohort of TCT Pathways students officially to the #RedbirdFamily!
