100% of Urban Prep’s 16th graduating class are college-bound

CHICAGO (WGN) — Friday marked the ending of a chapter and the beginning of a new one for dozens of Urban Prep Academies graduates.

Musical selections filled the room as over 50 high school graduates took their seats at the Harold Washington Cultural Center on Chicago’s South Side. As the graduates prepared to take their next step in life, they were given parting words from their commencement speaker, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. 

“As you walk across the stage, college-bound, as scholars today, I applaud you for making this milestone, but you are not finished,” Johnson said.

“Your resilience, your spirit, your ethic, your intelligence, your determination, all will serve you well.”

Urban Prep Academies operates two charter high schools on the city’s South Side. Since opening its Bronzeville and Englewood campuses more than 15 years ago, Urban Prep officials said they’ve worked to serve young men who want the best education but can’t afford it or face barriers to entry. Historically, college prep schools are private institutions. If they are public, students have to test into them.  

For the 16th consecutive year, all Urban Prep Academies graduating seniors received college admissions, with some receiving offers from multiple universities.  

Johnathan Williams got offer letters from nearly 30 schools. His mother, Ticina, told WGN News that it was her son’s first time away from his three other brothers, as he was attending a different school.

“He was a little apprehensive at first, but it really has made him an outstanding man,” she said.

Williams added: “Everybody needs support, and the type of support I have is very wonderful.”

The seniors were accepted into nearly 150 different universities, with many of them choosing to attend colleges close to home, including the University of Chicago and Northern Illinois University.