Future Institute and its programs serve 10 major midwest cities by supporting thousands of students’ transitions from high school to college and career.
Second-year program participant, Safa Slote, speaks about her experiences and unique opportunities in the Future Leaders Initiative (FLI) Program. Safa is a Computer Science major at the Illinois Institute of Technology and is a 5th year senior.
Second-year participant, Adedeji Tiamiyu, talks about the opportunities he has taken advantage of in the Future Leaders Initiative (FLI) Program. Adedeji is a sophomore Software Engineering major at the University of Akron.
Abenazer Mekete currently attends Cornell University with a major in Computer Science and Economics. He is a participant in Future Institute’s Future Leaders Initiative (FLI) Program through which he has a professional mentor. Abenazer is also the leader of the Junior Mentorship program for CMSA students.
Roshaan Siddiqui currently attends Wesleyan University and studies Computer Science. He is a participant in Future Institute’s Future Leaders Initiative (FLI) Program through which he has a professional mentor. Roshaan is also a junior mentor in the Junior Mentorship program for CMSA students.
Michelle Lopez is a Chicago Math and Science Academy (CMSA) graduate, class of 2014. Michelle attended the University of Chicago majored in English Language and Literature.
Daood Shah is a Chicago Math and Science Academy (CMSA) graduate, class of 2016. Daood has earned his associate’s degree at Oakton Community College (2018). He is transferring to UIC to continue his studies in Computer Engineering in the Fall 2018.
Brian Herrera is a Chicago Math and Science graduate now holds a bachelor degree from National Louis University in pre-law. He hopes to pursue his law degree from Loyola University. While pursuing his degree, he participated in the Future Institute Road-to-Success Mentorship (FIRM) program.
Ka Hsel Nay is a graduate of Chicago Math and Science Academy (CMSA) and is currently a Civil Engineering major at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). Through Future Institute, she interned with New Plan Learning in the summer of 2019 and spoke about her experiences.
Participants Adedeji, Safa, and Mehmet in Future Institute’s college program called the Future Leaders Initiative (FLI) Program speak about their experiences in the program.
Harold Jones Quartey is a safety for the Kansas City Chiefs NFL team and a graduate of Horizon Science Academy – Columbus. On May 2019, he was the keynote speaker for his high school’s graduation ceremony and spoke about his experiences in high school, college and the NFL.
You guys are doing great things for these kids out here in Columbus and you guys should continue to do it.
I just wanted to tip my hat to the Future Institute and what it is doing for young people. I am just privileged to be able to be a part of it.
This was an opportunity for me to help and step up.
It may be rewarding for a mentee to have someone they can lean on, but believe me it’s just as rewarding for mentors. They learn as much from your mentees, frankly, as you do from the mentors.
I really liked being able to relay information to high schoolers as a mentor. My mentees were super grateful for the information I relayed and I wish I had someone give me this information when I was a senior.
I enjoyed talking with my mentee. She had some really good questions about college and I did my best to answer her questions.
I love to try to help out people who were in the same situation as I was, and through the Junior Mentorship I was able to achieve that with my mentee. There [are] not many resources for people such as I and minorities in general and its a pleasure to help someone in need as well as one who seeks.
I liked talking to my mentee about her future goals and being updated on how senior [year] was going.
My current mentor, Martha, provided thorough advice to my questions. Her answers were genuine and not short one-worded answers. She helped me look for scholarships around my area and provided outside assistance for reading my essays if needed. The best part was she was a Horizon Columbus alumni, so I was able to personalize her experiences with mine.
Mentoring a high school student has really helped me with both personal and professional development. I was really excited to be able to help a student who was going through the same question and process as I did a few years ago.
