About My Work
I am proud to work as a School Director for the Schuler Scholar Program, a college access program in the Chicagoland area.
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The Schuler Scholar Program partners with area high schools, and our mission is to equip bright, motivated youth with the support they need to gain access to and succeed at highly selective colleges and beyond. We do this by providing students with academic support and enrichment, individualized college and educational counseling, leadership development, and more, all at no cost to the student or their family. We work closely with our Scholars, and we refer to Schuler Scholars, staff, and parents as the "Schuler Family."
I work every day at one of our partner high schools, Maine East High School. The student body at Maine East High School is diverse culturally, religiously, and linguistically--in fact, over 50 languages are spoken by Maine East students, and about three quarters of students don't speak English at home.
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If you were to visit the Schuler Rooms at Maine East High School, you would see Schuler staff and Scholars meeting in pairs and small groups, and having lively conversations about topics ranging from the role of math in the real world to politics and the media to diversity on selective college campuses. You would find Scholars using our space during study halls, lunch periods, and after school to study, receive tutoring, work on college applications and participate in enrichment programs. You would hear Schuler staff challenging Scholars to think deeply and critically, and to reflect on their learning, their meaning-making processes, and their values. You would notice that we customize our programs according to the unique needs, strengths, and goals of each student or group of students. In all that we do, the Schuler team works to set high expectations for our Scholars and provide them with the support needed to meet those expectations. We aim to empower students with the knowledge and skills they need to drive their own learning, achieve their goals, and make their own choices about their future.
Click photo to enlarge and view captions. Photos courtesy of Schuler Scholar Program.
It is my job to support the team of Schuler staff at Maine East, to ensure the effectiveness of Schuler programs at Maine East, and to build and sustain partnerships with the high school, our feeder district, and other community members. On any given day, my work might include hosting an outreach event for parents at a local middle school, collaborating with my team on designing or customizing programs for our Scholars, observing our programs in action, and analyzing data to set strategic goals and create plans for achieving them. But my favorite part of my work is without question getting to know, support, and celebrate our incredible Scholars!
Schuler Coach discusses math strategies with Scholars.
Photo courtesy of Schuler Scholar Program
