"I remember my mom telling me a couple years ago, 'You need to start picking colleges.' I would get sick from the thought of it," recalled Devin Funches, a student at Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep Academy. Several years later, Funches has embraced what once seemed overwhelming and is preparing to attend Tulane University on a full ride next fall. "Now I love the idea of college, and I talk to people about it all the time," he said, crediting his participation in the University of Chicago's South Side College and Career Catalyst Program with providing the practical tools, confidence, and network to overcome his initial anxiety.
Funches isn't alone in experiencing this transformation through the Office of Civic Engagement’s college and career readiness initiatives. These free programs provide comprehensive support to approximately 300 Chicago public school students annually. They help students identify their right-fit colleges, secure financial aid, and develop skills for long-term career success.
The graduating class of 2025 included 67 participants representing 23 different high schools across Chicago. Together, they received 282 acceptances from more than 90 colleges and universities—24 of which are highly selective institutions, including the University of Chicago. As a group, they’ll receive nearly $2.8 million in financial aid, grants, and scholarships next academic year alone.
Navigating college with confidence
For Funches, learning to strategically target applications for financial aid transformed college into an exciting and achievable goal. His mindset changed when he learned that selective schools with a high sticker price could also provide him the most aid.
“It was a big shift. Because I didn’t know what colleges to apply for and why. For someone like me who is low income, I learned that these colleges accommodate for me, and they fight for me,” he said.
Discovering future directions
For Ethan Sitzes—a student at Whitney Young Magnet High School who lives in Chicago’s Garfield Ridge neighborhood—it was the Collegiate Scholars Program’s campus exposure, summer courses, internship experiences, and faculty interactions that helped him envision his future at a top-tier university and open his eyes to academic fields he'd never considered. From CSP's behavioral science series to interning at a UChicago lab studying children's social reasoning, he discovered unexpected passions that would shape his future studies.
“I had never thought of behavioral science or psychology as a field I'd been interested in," said Sitzes. “Having those unique experiences and being in that environment made me feel like I can succeed at a highly selective institution and truly I can do anything,” said Sitzes, who will attend UChicago next year on a full ride as a Chicago Public Schools Scholar and major in neuroscience.
Funches also felt empowered to explore multiple interests. When he attended a College and Career Readiness event with UChicago law school students and learned that students entered law school with a wide range of undergraduate majors, he felt empowered to explore different subjects while strategizing for his career and financial future. In addition, career discussions helped him to understand that job transitions are more common and manageable than he had assumed.
“I met people [through other program-sponsored events and activities] who said, ‘I want to be a doctor’ and ended up a teacher. Or someone who left the medical field, and now they’re a lawyer,” said Funches. “This program made me realize I don’t have to settle on one thing. I can explore my education, paths, and interests.”
Kana Hutchens, a participant in CSP who attends Walter Payton College Prep, discovered that the program's comprehensive approach helped her see possibilities she hadn't previously considered. With newfound financial aid insights, support from UChicago faculty and CSP staff, and connections to admissions counselors established through program college fairs, she was able to navigate unfamiliar territory and ultimately land a full-ride scholarship at Stanford University, where she’s headed in the fall.
She began to envision her future not just academically, but in terms of the financial, social, and cultural preparation needed to succeed.
“In freshman year, I had no clue about the college process, and this really helped me understand it. All these events throughout the year—like career exploration, college visits, and financial planning workshops—really helped me figure out what I needed to know about applying to college,” she said. “And above all, preparing for what comes next.