America's Urban Campus, The City of Chicago, and World Business Chicago have recently partnered in a campaign to highlight the prominence of Chicago's higher education institutions and their importance as Chicago's talent pipeline.
Mayor Lightfoot, Mayor of the City of Chicago, Michael Fassnacht, Pres. & CEO of WBC, and David Baker, Executive Director of America's Urban Campus, have published this letter to incoming Chicago students, promoting the image of Chicago as an urban campus:
The new campaign highlights an important figure: 200K students are enrolled in undergraduate and graduate courses in the city. The ad campaign builds on Chicago as the city of stories by looking at their unique journeys to and in the city
Further, the Chicago Metro Area ranks third nationally for total number of students and graduates.
Each of our 200,000 students at our Chicago higher education institutions has a unique story of their journey to, through, and beyond their education.
Check out the profiles below to see how students used Chicago as their laboratory for learning, and how alumni are now giving back to Chicago through our talent pipeline:
Blake Reasoner (Chicago State University)
is a University Communications, Media Arts and Theater alumnus with a focus in Public Relations. Reasoner now works as a Marketing and Social Media Coordinator at Chicago State University and as a Public Relations Practitioner for Fusion of Light Entertainment.
Click Blake's photo to read more!
Mohammad Manzoor (DePaul University)
always knew he wanted to go to school in the city. “After choosing DePaul, I quickly learned that Chicago was my classroom. Not only was the city integrated into many of my courses, but I immersed myself in the city's surroundings outside of class -- exploring coffee shops, discovering new neighborhoods and working in the financial district.”
Click Mohammad's photo to read more!
Riley Reed (DePaul University)
says that their experience going to college in the city has influenced the work and career path she intends to follow. "Chicago made an indelible impact on me during my time at DePaul. Right when I got here, I realized that the city was my campus"
Click Riley's photo to read more!
Juliane Wolf (Illinois Institute of Technology)
says she came to Illinois Institute of Technology because its Bauhausian and Miesian ties have given the school a good reputation in her home country, Germany.
Click Juliane's photo to read more!
Sam Unsicker & Hiram Johnson (Illinois Institute of Technology)
became friends while studying at Illinois Institute of Technology and went on to design products for Big Monster Toys, where they have both had a hand in creating the toys that have ended up on shelves across the globe for the last 20 years.
Click the Toy Boys' photo to read more!
Sofia Martinez (Illinois Institute of Technology)
says that she has received an education in a city that represents a range of backgrounds and identities. "I can't really imagine having gone to school anywhere else. During my time at Illinois Tech, I met folks from different countries and cultures, and found my own ideas and perspectives being challenged continuously."
Click Sofia's photo to read more!
Ahmad Muhammad (Illinois Institute of Technology)
says that his experience in Chicago has been even more bountiful than he originally anticipated. Muhammad, a four-year starter on the Illinois Tech men's basketball team, has held internships at companies such as BMO Harris Bank, NBC Sports Chicago, and 2K sports.
Click Ahmad's photo to read more!
Yezi Gomez (National Louis University)
is a graduate of Chicago Public Schools and now a rising junior studying criminal justice and psychology at NLU. She cites the support she received from CPS as a key factor in her decision to attend college in Chicago.
Click Yezi's photo to read more!
Mahima Akula (University of Chicago)
came to Chicago from Texas four years ago to attend UChicago. In addition to UChicago's mix of liberal arts college feel and large university resources, Akula says she was immediately drawn to the city itself.
Click Mahima's photo to read more!
Michael Oliveros (University of Illinois Chicago)
is a genderqueer, first-generation Filipino American student who cites the diversity of Chicago as a key part of their college experience.
Click Michael's photo to read more!
Kerl LaJeune (University of Illinois Chicago)
is very proud to have graduated from UIC, a city public university with high honors and recognition amongst many institutions across the nation. As a commuting school, UIC provided Kerl the best circumstance for him and his siblings to be close to their parents and home life.
Click Kerl's photo to read more!
Veronica Bratland (University of Illinois Chicago)
graduated from University of Illinois at Chicago with a masters in Biomedical Engineering in August of 2022.
"The thought of being able to build something that could help those with disabilities is what excites me most."
Click Veronica's photo to read more!