Adrian Parada is a Waukegan High School junior who hopes to study engineering, business or HVAC when he goes to college. He may have found his choice at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, during a Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 spring break college tour.
“It’s a medium-sized school, and I like the average class size,” Parada said. “It has a good engineering program and a nice campus. I have a connection to the college now. It’s my first option.”
As a Waukegan High School freshman, London Jones does not have her heart set on a particular school, but attending a historically black college or university (HBCU) is a distinct possibility. She visited seven on the Waukegan Township Artis Yancy HBCU Tour during spring break.
“I like the culture,” Jones said. “I like to dance, and I like team sports. I’ve always thought about myself being in a Black environment.”
Jones and Parada were among more than 70 teens from Waukegan and other parts of Lake County visiting colleges in Louisiana and Arkansas on the HCBU tour — or in Michigan on the District 60 trip in late March — getting a closer look at schools and campus life.
Taking a three-day bus trip to Michigan, Melissa Giles, a District 60 college and career manager said the 38 students and five chaperones went first to Kalamazoo College, the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and, finally, Hope College.
“It gave the students a view of different types of colleges and universities,” Giles said. “They each offer a different type of experience and school culture.”
Waukegan Township Supervisor Marc Jones, who is London’s father, said the HBCU tour started 13 years ago — this was the 11th rendition because of a two-year COVID lapse — to expose the “young scholars” to a unique academic environment to which many can relate.
“The tour is a pivotal component in empowering students of color to pursue higher education and achieve their full potential,” Jones said. “We are extremely proud to be able to provide this opportunity, not just to students in the Waukegan community, but for students throughout Lake County.”
Tami Springs, the HBCU tour coordinator, said the 34 students traveled by bus on an eight-day trip through Missouri, Arkansas and Louisiana, visiting seven HBCU schools and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.
Visiting historic sites along with the colleges, Springs said they saw Dillard and Xavier universities in New Orleans, as well as Southern University and A&M College, and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana — the only non-HBCU institution on the trip.
“It’s LSU,” Springs said about including the non-HBCU school on the trip. “LSU is noteworthy and a draw, so this gives them an idea of the differences.”
From Baton Rouge, the group traveled to Grambling State University in Louisiana before arriving in Arkansas to see the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Philander Smith College there.
Arriving in Little Rock, Springs said the group visited Arkansas Baptist College, and then it was time for a civil rights history tour to Little Rock Central High School where, in 1957, nine Black students tried to integrate the school. It took 1,200 members of the U.S. Army to make it happen.
“It was important for them to see where it happened, and learn about America’s segregated past,” Springs said. “It’s something they don’t really understand, living and going to school in Waukegan.”
Warren Nash, a junior at Grayslake Central High School, was one of the tour participants. A wrestler who reached the Illinois state tournament over the winter, he said he is uncertain if he will pursue the sport in college. None of the HBCU schools offers such a program. He is still considering one.
“It could broaden my view of what I could make of myself in the future,” Nash said. “It’s a place I will be able to study with a mindset of how life could be.”
Snobia Givens, a Waukegan High School freshman, was another participant. While she is a few years from making a college choice, she said the experience gave her ideas about possibilities.
“It was inspiring,” Givens said. “I know what I saw, and what I liked. It gave me ideas of what to think about when I’m a senior. It was nice to see these colleges, especially in the South.”
Joscan Cruz, another Waukegan High School junior, said he is almost certain he wants to study HVAC in college and the University of Georgia is high on his list. The trip to Michigan gave him more to consider.
“I really liked Hope,” Cruz said. “It’s very unique. It’s religious. I felt very accepted. I got to connect with students and a teacher. They know something about me, and they have a very good engineering program.”
