Bottom Line

Katia Aguilar 

 

This summer, I was granted the opportunity to work as the Development Team Intern at the Chicago Bottom Line office. Initially, I was hesitant about accepting the position.  When I envisioned communications work, fundraising didn’t primarily come to mind. Nevertheless, I accepted and found out along the way that development is important to communication and company satisfaction. 

I had minimal expectations for my first week of work as an intern as this position would technically be my first time interning at a bigger company and for a nonprofit organization. I decided to go in without expectations and see what the working environment would be like. I was glad that everyone treated me as part of the team.  I felt very welcomed and appreciated; there really wasn’t any point throughout my time as an intern at which I felt singled out. I was also extremely fortunate to get to work with such an amazing team that made me feel included and supported. I was able to learn a lot throughout my time as a development intern. It really made me appreciate and enjoy coming to work every week. 

I learned a lot of new and useful skills that I have been able to implement currently towards public relations and media campaigns course. These skills will also be beneficial for me as I move forward in my career journey. Some of the projects I was included in were grant management, in which I assisted our Director of Development in organizing a program that would bring structure to our grant and gift giving system and visualize due dates and amount distributions.  

I also worked with the Development Coordinator on creative and strategic improvement projects for the Bottom Line Chicago Marathon team. I was tasked with graphic design projects that would help the runners raise funds to help Bottom Line continue providing their services to students. Collectively, my collaterals made up a media tool kit for our marathon team to use. This toolkit consists of templates for Instagram stories, Facebook posts, custom QR codes, and a digital postcard to send out for outreach. By giving me the chance to curate digital content for a nonprofit event, I was able to expand my graphic design and digital marketing skills. 

I was also asked to reflect on my experience of being part of the Bottom Line Student Ambassador Program. My feedback and perspective as a student were critical in breathing new life and improving the structure of the existing program. Furthermore, I had the opportunity to help organize data and create Google maps that demarcate the population of students that Bottom Line serves. These maps aid in gaining a better understanding of our network and in evaluating how many students are currently enrolled and benefitting from our services. Lastly, I assisted our head of Development with organizing donor data to better see who our donor population is and where our gifts and grants are coming from. This was really helpful in showing me that the relationship that a company has with its supporters is equally as important as the relationship with the people who use the services, especially in the case of a nonprofit organization like Bottom Line.  

All of the experiences I had during my internship have given me new skills that I can now confidently utilize going forward in the future as I continue to shape my career. This summer has given me a new perspective on what I am considering in terms of my career as I am now more confident in my analytical and data processing skills and have opened my network of opportunities to expand beyond just the creative fields of communication. I am extremely grateful for the time that I spent doing this internship and the skills that I gained as a result. I now look forward to graduating this upcoming spring and hopefully my goal of working as an editor for a publishing house.  

Lily, a fourth year at University of Illinois at Chicago, will be the first in her family to graduate both high school and college.  

“Growing up, I had this close relationship with education,” she said, thinking back on her experiences. “My parents always told me how hardworking they were growing up. College shows all the hard work my parents have put in, and I want to honor that.” 

Lily found out about Bottom Line through a friend in her junior year of high school. She was already involved in many extracurricular activities and looking for others to join.  

“Bottom Line was by far the best application I could have submitted. The amount of opportunities I got through Bottom Line, I couldn’t have gotten alone. Bottom Line has been an incredible support system,” she said. 

One of those opportunities was the Bottom Line externship program. An externship is a short-term, paid opportunity that allows undergraduate students to be exposed to a specific industry, role, and/or office environment. The goal is to provide students with relevant experiences to build career-related competencies, build professional networks, and become more competitive for future internships and post-college opportunities. 

Lily first applied for a Bottom Line externship in 2020 as an opportunity to gain relevant experience for her medical school applications. In college, Lily already juggled two jobs alongside her coursework and a position within her sorority. With this schedule, it was hard to find research opportunities and other extracurriculars that fit with her interests. Bottom Line’s externship program provided a great opportunity for her to gain more experience in her field of study. 

Lily applied for this opportunity, and worked with her Advisor to build up her interviewing skills, since she had not interviewed since high school. With the help of her Advisor, Lily also found other resources to help her prepare for the process. 

“There are so many resources you can use to mock interview with yourself,” she shared. 

She found sample interview questions and wrote down possible answers to ensure she’d be prepared in the interview itself. Her Advisor was also able to share resume and cover letter templates too. 

Lily was placed in an externship with a local clinic. Unfortunately, before the start of the externship, the COVID-19 pandemic began. As universities, colleges, and workplaces across the country turned to remote work, the in-person opportunity she was looking forward to was no longer available. 

While it was disappointing, Lily found other ways to take advantage of the transition. 

“The pandemic forced me to take a break. It allowed me to dive back into school.”  

With her jobs going remote or modifying their hours, Lily was able focus on even more on her school work. She received the best grades of her college career, even ending up on the Dean’s List. 

A year later in spring 2021, Bottom Line offered new externship opportunities, and Lily decided to apply again. This time, she received an opportunity through Crown Family Philanthropies. This connected to her interest in philanthropy, something she learned from her parents.  

“It was incredible. I met so many people in the span of 3 days.” 

It was a fast-paced experience, and she got a chance to better understand the various roles in the organization. While not directly tied to the medical field that she plans to go into, Lily was able to gain valuable experience she plans to bring into her future work. She was particularly interested in a project that she worked on during her time there focused on diversity initiatives.  

“Diversity has always been something that I look for in future workplaces. Starting the conversation is crucial, but I had never thought about what I could do in the workplace to make it more physical. That’s something I want to move forward with, finding ways to make the spaces I’m in more inclusive,” she shared. 

Lily has a year and a half left until she graduates, and she’s already researching medical schools with her Advisor. 

“I’ve had the same plan since high school. I love this path that I’m on.” 

Lily’s goal is to earn her Bachelor’s in neuroscience and then go onto medical school or graduate school. Though she is still deciding what area she will focus on, she is interested in researching Alzheimer’s and other neurogenerative diseases, as well as studying neurology, surgery, and oncology.  

Externship

Natalie, a sophomore at Illinois State University (ISU), has always been dedicated to her education.

“School makes me happy,” shared Natalie, who is the youngest of four siblings. “My siblings had a different pathway, but they weren’t surprised about me wanting to go to college.”

While her family was supportive of her desire to go to college, Natalie’s mom was concerned about college affordability and her moving away from home. Natalie submitted her FAFSA and explored scholarship opportunities that covered almost all of her college costs, and she hopes students like her don’t give up on finding ways to pay for school.

“Students should know that the help is out there, the money is out there, but you have to find it,” said Natalie. You can do anything if you put the work into it. It’s not going to be thrown to you, but if you put the work into it, you can make your dreams come true.”

Her high school counselor helped her plan for college and explore different schools. She was nervous about some of the larger colleges her counselor encouraged her to apply to, but her counselor also shared a list of other programs that could offer her continued support after she graduated high school.

“Having that support system was very important to me,” she said. “Because everything would be new, and no one in my family had done this before.”

Bottom Line was on the list, and she hoped they would offer the support she was looking for. She applied to the college Success program to get support while in college, but she was nervous about her first meeting with her new Bottom Line Advisor.

Her high school counselor and brother encouraged her to at least try it, and she even brought her older brother with her to her first meeting, which was held in Bottom Line’s office in the Loop. Once she met her Bottom Line Advisor, however, she felt confident about staying in the program.

Her first year of college at ISU forced her to adapt to a myriad of changes.

“I didn’t know anyone going to my college, and I’m the first in my family to go to college, so it was hard to go away for school. This was a fresh start, and it was a really big deal for me,” she shared.

Natalie eventually got to know her campus, her three roommates, and new friends in a Latin sorority, and she felt like she was finally hitting her stride last spring. That’s when COVID-19 hit.

“It was like someone pulled a rug out from under me right when I was getting the hang of things,” she said. “My grades were good; my social life was good. I was so excited to go back to school after spring break, but then everything changed.”

The switch to virtual learning and new social distancing guidelines meant she had to move back in with her family. While living in a shared home has sometimes made it difficult to focus on her classes, Natalie has found that online learning wasn’t as challenging for her because of her good organization and scheduling skills. In some ways, she even found it beneficial.

“It’s hard to raise your hand in a 300-person class,” she said. “But students have each other’s backs more with online classes.”

By connecting with classmates through different online and text group chats, she and other students help answer each other’s questions and keep up with course materials.

Through all of the changes over the last year, Natalie has regularly met with her Bottom Line Advisor, who has encouraged her to grow more comfortable asking for help when she needs it, particularly in such uncertain times.
“I grew up very independent, and I’m still independent,” she said. “Asking for help is hard for me to do. I try to figure it out myself so that I don’t have to.”

Her Advisor encouraged her to ask for help when she needs it, like going to a professor’s office hours or signing up for tutoring in difficult subjects. Now, she feels confident asking for help, even for the little things.

“We all struggle. Just ask for help,” she shared. “If it weren’t for my Advisor, I would be so stressed out. I would feel like I was on my own.”

Getting used to the social restrictions caused by COVID-19 has also taken getting used to. While she used to see her roommates and friends every day on campus, it has been difficult to stay connected since they moved off-campus.

“The majority of my friends that I met my first year live in the suburbs, and I live in the city,” Natalie said. “I have some friends that decided to leave school or some friends who are not sure what to do next…We are checking in on each other, but it’s difficult.”

While she works hard to continue putting herself out there to create a virtual social life, she looks forward to when they can connect in person again.

Natalie is currently majoring in psychology, and she hopes to eventually go to graduate school and become a therapist to help others.

“I’m a person that just wants to help the whole world, even if it’s small,” she said.

Through all the challenges of college and COVID-19 so far, Natalie is determined to follow through on her dreams for not only herself but also for her young nephews.

“They’re my motivation to stay in college,” said Natalie. “By going to college, being successful, and getting a stable job, I want to be a role model to them. I want them to have the best life that they could ever have and pursue their dreams.”

Sharon, a recent graduate of University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and Bottom Line alum, always knew graduating from college would help her achieve her goals.

“I didn’t want to be another person who didn’t go to college,” said Sharon. “My parents have always told me I need to live up to my dreams,” she said.

Despite being diagnosed with cancer before her senior year of high school, Sharon’s dreams didn’t change. While she was managing frequent medical appointments and finishing high school, she also looked for support in applying to college. She applied to several college access programs, but she was excited to hear back from and be accepted to Bottom Line’s Access program shortly after applying.

“I went into the college process blind. I’m the first person to go to college in my family, so [my Bottom Line Advisor] helped me a lot,” said Sharon.

When she decided to attend UIC, one of Bottom Line’s target colleges, she continued on into the college Success program. Her first two years of college were academically challenging, and her Bottom Line Advisor encouraged her to seek out resources, proactively talk to her professors, and attend office hours.

“Most of the people I went to college with were also first-timers,” she said. “I’m thankful for Bottom Line, because who knows what my process through college would have been like otherwise.”

Fall 2020 was Sharon’s final semester of college, and it was a much different experience than she had anticipated before COVID-19.

“I didn’t know how to physically sit and take in all the screen time,” she said. “It was really hard to keep on with scheduling.”

She eventually found a new rhythm for virtual learning, planning out her study time, her physical work space, and scheduling her work. She graduated at the end of fall 2020 with a double major in Sociology and Political Science.

Sharon was excited to graduate and to be able to help her two younger siblings when they start applying to college. Her younger brother, who is a senior in high school, is now in Bottom Line’s Access program.

“I was able to finish, so they can finish too,” Sharon said. “Now they have me and I’ve gone through the process, so it’s easier for them,” she said.

While still in college, Sharon had started volunteering for Lurie Children’s Hospital, and she was eventually offered a paid student intern position. As she got closer to graduation, her manager was eager to offer her a full-time role.

Sharon was required to reapply for the full-time role and go through the interview process, and she worked with her Bottom Line Advisor to build out her resume and cover letter and ensure she was prepared.

She was offered the role and started working full-time in November while she finished her last semester of college.

While Sharon eventually wants to attend graduate school for social work, she enjoys her current position at Lurie Children’s Hospital in the Workforce Development and Multicultural Education department where she engages directly with students.

“I’m doing impactful work,” she shared. “I want to engage these students and help them know there is a career out there for them.”

 

 

How did you first learn about Bottom Line? 

I was CEO of The Princeton Review when one of our team members left to join Bottom Line. He was so was passionate about the mission that I didn’t even try to persuade him to stay with us, and decided instead to get involved myself. He invited me to run the Boston Marathon for Bottom Line in 2015, and I’ve been involved in the cause ever since!

What about the organization keeps you involved?

I get asked to support many different groups, but Bottom Line stands out from the crowd because of its action-orientation. The team doesn’t just talk about the issues – they actually do something about it. The passion for the mission starts right at the top with Steve Colón, and many of the staff are alumni or were first-gen students themselves. They will NOT let a single student fall through the cracks.

Another thing that stands out is the rigor with which Bottom Line measures outcomes. I like to support organizations that are analytical and outcome-oriented, and Bottom Line does regular studies to see how their students are doing vs. comparable student populations. The results are impressive, and it is clear that Bottom Line makes a difference. Our donations are well spent.

Is there a specific mission moment or connection with a student/advisor/etc. that really moved you?

I love everyone I’ve met at Bottom Line!

A few people really stand out for me. Rich Pierre who is a relentless ambassador for the cause, graduated from Bentley (undergrad and MBA), worked at BCG, and is now a healthcare project analyst. And Abenet Tzerai, whose family is from Eritrea, ran the Boston Marathon for Bottom Line in 2016 and raised over $12,000. He graduated from medical school this year and is now working in New York. They are both outstanding people and are giving back to their communities in ways that multiply Bottom Line’s impact.

You ran the Boston Marathon for Bottom Line this year and raised over $80K – tell us about your experience, and how you motivated yourself during the marathon itself.

It was insane. I’m not a runner, I’m 61, and I have a disease that affects my joints, so it wasn’t a particularly smart idea. I thought I was signing up for four months and didn’t know that it would be nine months, nor that I would end up running over 1,000 miles during my training (and taking over 2 million steps!).

I also didn’t know that the race was going to become “virtual.” No crowds. No Wellesley College scream tunnel. No water stops. And no porta-potties! Actually, there was nothing “virtual” about it – every step of my 26.2-mile run was real, for me and for the 15,470 runners with me on different courses in over 100 countries around the world. I ran my 26.2 miles along the Charles River with another charity runner, ending at the finish line on Boylston Street. Family and friends camped out and provided bananas and Gatorade when needed – some even ran parts of the route with us. We were very lucky with the weather, and it was beautiful running along the Charles. We didn’t push ourselves and took pictures as we went. It took just over 5 hours and finished in relative comfort, with no sore muscles or stiff joints the next day.

The biggest excitement, though, was to raise over $80K for Bottom Line – I have wonderful friends who believe in the mission and donated multiple times over my 9 months of training.

I asked them to share stories of the strong women they grew up with, and I called out the names of those strong women at each mile during my run, for inspiration. Most of the stories were about first-generation women, many of who traveled thousands of miles to reach the US and build lives here, and who made sure their kids were educated. Now their children and grandchildren have donated thousands of dollars for others to do the same. It seems poetic.

Our students are facing an uncertain landscape throughout the coming months. What advice would you give them as they work toward completing their college degrees and get ready to graduate?

Ask for help when you need it. Don’t let a bad grade derail you, or a lack of cash cause you to drop out – those things happen to everyone, and there is always help available if you ask. The strongest people are those with the confidence to ask for help – the weakest are those who think they can go it alone.

Jazlynn, a current senior at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and a student in Bottom Line’s Success program has always been excited to get her degree.

“Going to college has always been the big picture for me because my mom took college classes but never graduated and neither did my dad,” said Jazlynn. “They were always pushing me to go to college so I could be financially stable.”

Jazlynn, a highly motivated pre-law student, has been steadily working toward that goal. Throughout college, she’s taken on three jobs to provide for herself while being enrolled full-time in school.

Last spring when COVID-19 started affecting how her courses were taught, her hours at work, and her living situation, she felt confident about navigating the effects of the pandemic and adapting to the virtual environment.

However, the fall semester of her senior year started taking a toll on her. By the time Thanksgiving came around, she had experienced her third COVID-19 exposure since the pandemic started, and had to quarantine yet again. Luckily, she was able to avoid getting the virus each time.

This past semester Jazlynn took a heavy fall course load, and due to the hours at all of her jobs being cut over the summer and this fall due to COVID-19, she did not have the financial buffer that she usually had. On top of those stresses, the isolation of her living and working environments was mentally and emotionally exhausting.

“It was taxing… I couldn’t have any guests over, couldn’t have anyone in my room, and I couldn’t interact with any of my colleagues,” said Jazlynn.

When she was forced to move to new on-campus housing that no longer included a meal plan, she was left with the additional cost of groceries and fewer work hours than ever to cover her bills. She was able to get food from the on-campus food pantry for students facing food insecurity, but they had limited hours and supplies, and she often had to consciously eat less per day or skip meals.

When one of her professors surprised her by requiring additional expensive textbooks to be purchased after the semester had started, she wasn’t sure what to do.

“I’ve never asked for money,” Jazlynn said. “I’ve always either had enough saved up from working three jobs to cover additional costs or have taken out just enough loans to cover emergency expenses. This was the first time I didn’t have any money to make sure I had what I needed.”

Jazlynn proactively researched COVID relief funds through her school and community, but there was limited information on how and when to apply for it. Throughout this experience, she talked with her Bottom Line Advisor, who encouraged her to apply for emergency funding through Bottom Line.

She applied early, and Bottom Line was able to provide her with emergency funding that helped cover the cost of her textbooks, housing, and tuition.

Throughout college, Jazlynn has worked with her Bottom Line Advisor to talk through her course loads and apply to internships, but COVID-19 has brought them even closer together.

“[My Bottom Line Advisor] has been really helpful, even when I just needed to talk to someone,” said Jazlynn. “When COVID happened, it was more than just a professional relationship. I can talk to her about more than just school. I can talk about my plans. I can talk about what I need.”

Through all these challenges, Jazlynn has stayed motivated and has found ways to persist through school and end the semester in great academic standing.

“I’m the oldest of 14 siblings, and I care about them,” she said. “I want to be an inspiration to them and be a person they can look up to. They have been my motivation to do well in school.”

Jazlynn is on track to graduate in spring 2021, and she has already lined up an internship as a paralegal for next semester. After earning her BA, she eventually plans to attend law school so she can practice family law.

 

Ever since they were a junior in high school, Jen, a Bottom Line student, knew they wanted to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (U of I). As an extrovert, Jen was looking forward to living on campus, meeting new people, and starting to take classes on the variety of subjects they were interested in.  

When it became clear that the pandemic would make their first year in college a bit different than what they originally imagined, they considered taking a gap year.  

“It crossed my mind a few times that maybe I should just take a break given everything that was going on,” said Jen, now a freshman at U of I. “My mom told me that if I don’t go to school, I would have to go to work to help support the family.” 

Jen let that sink in and recognized that they felt they had to continue the momentum they already had with school.  

“I would have a higher risk of getting COVID-19 if I had to go to work every day, and I was afraid that if I deferred and had to re-apply, whether or not I would be admitted to U of I again,” Jen said.  

Jen’s decision to start college this year and adapt to the new environment has been the right decision for them, but it hasn’t been without other hurdles they’ve had to navigate. 

A week before they planned to leave for U of I to live on campus and log into classes virtually, Jen and their family were diagnosed with COVID-19. They have since recovered, but that was another layer added to the other responsibilities on their plate.  

While managing their first semester of classes, Jen took care of their mother while recovering from COVID and oversaw virtual learning for their two younger sisters in kindergarten and 7th grade. Their parents leave for work very early in the morning, so they make breakfast for their sisters and manages their day until their parents come home from work while juggling their own virtual learning. 

“Sometimes I’m a mom, a student, and a sister all at the same time,” Jen shared.  

Jen has been in Bottom Line’s program since they were a high school senior, where they got support from their Bottom Line Advisor in writing college application essays, submitting college applications, and ultimately choosing an affordable college. Looking for support in the college application process and college, Jen’s older friends recommended they apply to Bottom Line while still in high school.  

“I like Bottom Line because they seem to help everyone, despite what their test scores or grades are,” they shared. “Bottom Line made the whole process easier and a lot less nerve-wracking. I’m the oldest child, so it was really great having help for that. As the oldest, I’m the example for my family.” 

While in Bottom Line’s Access program, Jen got support in figuring out the most affordable college for them. They were able to qualify for and secure Illinois Promise. This financial aid package provides scholarships and grants to help cover tuition and campus fees for U of I students who are Illinois residents and whose family meets the household income threshold.  

“The price tag was very important to me,” Jen said. “Also, choosing to attend U of I was a risk because it’s really far away, but I wanted to study a lot of different things, and U of I had all of them, including astronomy, medicine, and art.”  

Now in college, Jen has continued as a student in Bottom Line’s Success program. During such a stressful first semester, they worked with their Bottom Line Advisor to manage the anxiety of navigating their different responsibilities and were encouraged to reach out to their professors when they needed extensions or help.  

“In my Bottom Line meetings, my Advisor would ask about pronouns and elements of my identity,” Jen said. “I’m happy that Bottom Line cares about helping students with their college journey, but I also like that they really care about the students, who they are, and how they identify themselves.”* 

With virtual classes often being less engaging, Jen has found ways to stay organized and motivated through their coursework, such as bullet journaling and designating a specific area of the house for their classwork.  

“When classes started, I was so excited that I was finally in college,” Jen said. “I was excited to learn new things and meet people who share the same interests, but I soon started losing momentum. My astronomy class has no live class, and I had to watch a lot of videos and read a textbook. This was hard because I wasn’t learning anything.”  

Jen, who is majoring in Environmental Sciences and will possibly minor in Astronomy and Art, has also been exploring different school clubs to join virtually, and they make the most of the breakout rooms in their virtual classes to make new connections with classmates.   

As for what happens in 2021, Jen plans to continue the remote learning from their family’s house through the spring semester and focus on starting their life on campus in their sophomore year.  

“For now, I can stay home and stay safe, and help my sisters get in the groove of their schooling,” Jen said. 

And Jen feels like there have been some silver linings about their first year in college, for which they are grateful.  

“I’m so happy that I’m getting the chance to strengthen my relationships with my sisters and my family and that I get to eat my mom’s cooking,” Jen said.  

*For more information on Bottom Line’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion practices, as well as our usage of inclusive pronouns, click here.

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.”    

In April 2020, we were pleased to welcome John Higginson to the Chicago Regional Advisory Board. Prior to Groupon, John served as the CTO for Enova, FTD Companies, Wheels, and Applied Systems. Flowers, cars, insurance, money, and now experiences — proof that technology powers every facet of our lives.

John earned his B.A. from one of Bottom Line’s target colleges, Northern Illinois University, and M.S. in IT and Privacy Law, with honors from The John Marshall Law School and is a frequent writer and speaker on technology, leadership. A champion of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, he spends time working with organizations to help women and underrepresented minorities enter and advance in technology careers.

We recently asked John to share about why John joined Bottom Line’s Chicago Regional Advisory Board and his passion for our mission:

Why were you motivated to join Bottom Line’s Regional Board? 

I’m the first person in my family to graduate from college so the mission of Bottom Line and the stories of the students really resonate with me.

How would you describe our mission? Why is it important to you?

Bottom Line provides the support system that students might otherwise get from their families. Being the first in your family to attend college is difficult. No one else knows what the experience, challenges are like — especially parents. It’s expensive which in many families puts tremendous stress on finances. And sometimes parents or grandparents — because they themselves didn’t attend college — undervalue it. The counselors at Bottom Line help students navigate everything from decisions about majors, to financial assistance, to encouragement.

Beyond that, the mission is important to me because the single best investment we can make as a society is education More education is directly linked to higher wages, homeownership. And as a technology leader I’m acutely aware that we don’t have nearly enough people to fill the jobs we have in our industry. We can’t “invent the future” if we can’t get enough people in the laboratory.

Why do you think Bottom Line is now more important during the pandemic? 

COVID-19 and the quarantines in place to mitigate its spread put enormous strain on people. Having your normal social life disrupted is a part of that. Many people are staying home which often means they are caring for younger siblings. And remote learning is just different. The quick question you would normally ask your professor, the easy interaction with fellow students, study groups are made much more difficult. Having that trusted advisor from Bottom Line to help with everything from coursework help to just talking through the stress of quarantine is vital to helping these students stay in school and graduate.

by A. W. Fleck

“Tassels left, Seniors!”

Okay, so maybe I’m getting a little ahead of myself. But you’ve spent the last four to six years working towards a significant accomplishment – graduating from college! And while you should be celebrating this milestone with stage walks and parties, thanks to Ms. Rona, not only has your commencement been canceled, but you’re set to enter a job market that has fundamentally Changed.

No, that capital “C” was not a mistake. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: “A general slowdown in economic activity, a downturn in the business cycle, a reduction in the amount of goods and services produced and sold—these are all characteristics of a recession.” (https://www.bls.gov/spotlight/2012/recession/)

From December 2007 to June 2009, the U.S.’s last recorded recession, unemployment peaked at 10 percent. As of April, we had already reached a rate just shy of 15 percent. And if Goldman Sachs’ predictions are correct, we could see rates as high as 29-35 percent before this is all over. For context, U.S. unemployment peaked at 23 percent during the Great Depression of the 1930s. With this information in mind, I’d like to encourage you to think outside the box and reset expectations around your first, career-mobilizing job.

There’s a common misconception that the first destination out of college should be a Dream Job. But what puts a job up on that lofty pedestal? Is it the position title? Is it the company? Is it the salary? How can you take a solid step forward without sacrificing everything you’ve worked so hard to achieve? Here are three tips to help you adjust your job search for the current hiring landscape:

All Industries Are Created Equal

You may have had a particular goal in mind throughout your senior year, your Dream Job. You worked hard, passed your classes, secured that diploma—and now the market is in crisis. By putting in the work on the Next Best Thing, you can still take a quality step towards your Dream Job. Companies in the finance, health, and education sectors are among the industries least affected – and many are still actively hiring. Whatever role you had hoped to secure, modify your search to include a similar role in an industry you haven’t considered. Now is the perfect time to color outside the lines you’ve drawn for yourself, build up your skills, and discover the new, ‘professional’ you!

All Jobs Lead to Home

Young millennials and generation Zers want more from their career. They crave purpose and work they’re passionate about. So while the job hunt used to be more: “I’m not picky about where I work, so long as I am a tax accountant,” or “I’m not picky about the role, so long as I get a job with Prudential,” there’s a new strategy in town. Fit Factors.

Fit factors are the need/want-to-haves in your future workplace. By exploring your fit factors, you approach your job search with a company-first mindset. Some common things to consider are company size, the mission & values that drive the work, company culture, benefits, dedication to inclusive hiring, and more. If Citibank is at the top of your list, it’s not because you’ve seen their bikes all over town. It’s because, as a first-generation college graduate, their multiple pipeline programs for students with underrepresented identities resonate with you. This method allows you to focus on the specifics of what you’re looking for, ensuring each rung on the ladder of your career is just as rewarding as the last.

Not All Quarantines yield the same results

Recently I attended a virtual panel put on by Streetwise Partners on navigating the current hiring landscape. Knowing the average job search timeline was likely to shift in response to the pandemic, I thought it would be interesting to hear from H.R. professionals who could speak to best practices for current job seekers. One of the most important pieces of information that came out of the event was the likelihood that the question “What did you do during the pandemic?” would be a new addition to interviews.

Immediately my thoughts jumped to those who haven’t been able to move forward, business-as-usual. It can feel like there’s a lot of pressure to trek forward in the same ways we were two short months ago, despite an unprecedented new normal. How do you balance professional growth and momentum with being kind to yourself and making room to be less than okay? And is this something recruiters will take into account when hiring?

One of the panelists described crisis as the intersection between danger and opportunity. So, if the pandemic is the danger, the steps you take in the next 6-12 months are your opportunity. Searching for full-time employment is a natural thought, but if it feels like too much, what else can you do to level up your skills? This could be as simple as taking a free online class or as complex as cultivating a new mentor. Whether you use this time to organize your life or work your way through a stack of nonfiction reads, you have the power to come out of this with new doors open to you.

In short: Congratulations, seniors! Remember, hard work and humility go a long way. Whether it’s improving your soft skills or working a non-dream job until the landscape improves, this is still your time. We here at Bottom Line salute your accomplishment and welcome you to this next, exciting chapter of your lives.