Bottom Line

Kennedy, a senior attending Chicago’s Ogden International High School in the West Town neighborhood, has always been focused on her education.  However, COVID-19 and remote learning presented unique challenges for her as she was about to enter her senior year.   

With COVID-19 affecting her father’s employment and her family also managing health challenges, Kennedy still had to navigate the college application process while balancing her last year in high school and dealing with the effects of the pandemic on her family.     

“Family matters a lot,” Kennedy said, “and I’m trying hard to be successful for them.”  

With social distancing limiting the extracurricular activities she could be involved in and the decision to not submit SAT scores to the colleges she is applying to, maintaining her good academic standing has become even more important for her this year. 

This past summer as she was preparing for her senior year, Kennedy’s school counselor recommended she apply to be a part of Bottom Line’s Access program to get additional support in her college application process.  

While she felt supported in the college application process by her father and her high school community, she was excited by the opportunity for one-on-one mentorship from one of Bottom Line’s Advisors that could walk her through every step of the application process, from writing essays to navigating the financial aid application process.   

“I feel that comfort and full support knowing that I can have the one-on-one support with my Advisor to help me on whatever I need on the application process,” Kennedy said.   

Only three months into her senior year, Kennedy has already worked very closely with her Bottom Line Advisor to navigate her college journey so far, especially on getting support on writing her college essays.   

“It’s a lot harder to write about myself,” she said. “[My Advisor] helps me brainstorm ideas I wouldn’t have thought about, and she knows what will stand out to colleges.”  

Kennedy believes that the one-on-one support her Bottom Line Advisor offers has been a key part of her feeling more confident about the college application process.  

“I’ve learned so much that I’m now giving advice to my friends about how to apply for college,” said Kennedy. 

Once Kennedy gets her college degree, she plans to pursue her dream of becoming a lawyer so she can continue advocating for other people.  As president of her school’s Black Student Union for the past two years, she’s been involved in community activism, including organizing peaceful protests this past summer.   

“I want to do my part,” Kennedy said. “I like advocating for people, no matter how much time and effort it takes.”   

So far she has been accepted to three of the six universities she has applied to, including Illinois State University and Northern Illinois University, which are target college partners in Bottom Line’s Success program.  

“I love that there is a continuation of Bottom Line after being in the Access program and that you can have an Advisor to help you all the way through college,” Kennedy said. “I feel a lot more comfortable knowing that if I choose to attend one of Bottom Line’s target colleges, I can continue having a Bottom Line Advisor help me through college.”