It’s not the norm for Chicago Public School graduates to go on and complete college. More than half of students who enroll drop out. But the Posse program has been chipping away at that statistic. The program’s mentors stick with students through all four years of college. DePaul’s Margaret McDermott is one of 42 students from Posse’s first group of Chicago graduates.
Margaret McDermott: You’re building up these relationships with people and really gaining trust in each other. Then you’re meeting your mentor before hand so she’s a liason who guides you to college directly.
According to a spokeswoman from the University of Chicago’s Consortium on Chicago School Research most CPS students never even make it through the application process. Obstacles are big tuition costs, anxiety over financial aid and not knowing understanding the application process.
