Chicago’s Academy for Local Leadership (ALL) recently introduced the ALL Chicago fellowship program in response to the recent shift in CPS governance from a 7-member appointed school board to a 21-member elected school board. By training and supporting local advocates, ALL advances the education of grassroots community members and helps them explore their interest in 1) school board membership and/or 2) more general education advocacy.
We have been excited and inspired by Nancy’s interest and acceptance into ALL’s second cohort of Fellows. The application process was competitive and required letters of referral, a 5-person interview panel, and details about her ‘why’ and the community leadership roles she’s played over time.
Her main motivation with the Fellowship is to serve as a connector to other busy families in Chicago about education equity, governance and policy, and how these broader variables impact the choices and pathways within individual households.
Her perspective, relatability and deep commitment to others is proving particularly valuable as Intrinsic high school students – many to be first-gen college students – navigate their choices about what daily habits matter in high school; what careers, apprenticeships, colleges and financial aid packages to consider; how families can manage the changes that arise when their child leaves home for college; and then also navigate all the new opportunities that arise over time.
Nancy originally came to us as the mom of three Intrinsic students. Her oldest son graduated from Intrinsic Belmont in 2019, and went on to finish at the University of Chicago in 2023 with a degree in software engineering. Her daughter graduated in 2023 and is also now at the University of Chicago. Her youngest will finish at Belmont as part of the Class of 2026.
In all her roles as an advocate – an ALL Fellow, board member, Parent Ambassador, community leader, parent – Nancy cares most about supporting young people to achieve their best, and to have all the choices and resources they need to reach their goals.