Trinity Works with After School Programs in Chicago

Trinity’s Office of Ethnic Diversity recently expanded to include a pre-college department that helps high school students from after-school programs get a glimpse of what life is like as a Trinity student.

Tabitha Matthews, the College’s pre-college coordinator, works with two of Trinity’s partner organizations in Chicago: Circle Urban Ministries and By the Hand Club for Kids. Both organizations are community programs for students in grades 1-12 and include college-readiness programs.

The partnership with both the organizations gives Trinity students the opportunity for service learning, as well as encourages the program’s students to attend college, and more specifically Trinity.

On February 10-11, students from By the Hand Club for Kids experienced firsthand what it was like to be at Trinity. Ten students came to campus for a night of games, open gym, and Trinity basketball games.

The students stayed overnight in the dorms with Trinity students and attended financial aid sessions as well as other college-readiness classes taught by Chris Bohle and Caitlin Fillmore ’09, resident directors at the College. The courses focused on choosing a college and campus life.

“The students all appeared to be very engaged and had some really great questions,” said Fillmore. “I hope I challenged them to think carefully about the choices they make.”