Members of the Chicago Scholars program interview with admissions representatives from The University of Chicago at last year’s Onsite College and Leadership Forum. More than 500 first-generation and underserved Chicago high school students will interview Friday at this year’s forum. (Chicago Scholars photo)

Alan Arenas is ready for his big day.

The senior at Jones College Prep in Chicago will be meeting Friday with admission representatives from colleges and universities, hoping to land a spot in one of his top choices. With his brother a graduate of Georgetown University and his sister a senior at the private Washington, D.C. school, there is no doubt where his priority lies.

“I would be blessed to get in there,” he said of Georgetown.

Other schools at the top of his list are Boston University, Miami University of Ohio, Wake Forest and Notre Dame.

Arenas is getting a shot at talking with top schools because of his involvement with Chicago Scholars, a youth development organization that conducts an annual Onsite College and Leadership Forum.

A Chicago Scholar interviews with a college admissions representative. (Chicago Scholars photo)

On Friday, Arenas and more than 500 other first-generation and underserved Chicago high school students will participate in a mass college interview day. Throughout the day, Chicago students from both public and private schools will have admissions interviews with colleges, many of whom will offer students acceptance letters and financial packages on the spot.

The more than 500 students who participated in last year’s Onsite event garnered:

· 3,100 interviews

· 774 same-day admissions

· $34.4 million in merit aid

Both of Arenas’ older siblings participated in the Chicago Scholars program and encouraged him to follow suit.

“They told me to watch out for when applications for the program open up,” Arenas said. “They said they took advantage of the program and said, ‘You should too.’”

Helping hand

Arenas’ brother, now a consultant, has returned to be a mentor in the Chicago Scholars program.

Alan Arenas said that he could see himself following in his brother’s footsteps and returning to help students in the program.

“The group’s motto is ‘Once a scholar always a scholar,’” Arenas said. “It is important to give back something to an organization that has given so much.”

A Chicago Scholar celebrates her acceptance to the University of Michigan. (Chicago Scholars photo)

Arenas said he has spent hours in the Chicago Scholars writing lab getting help with personal statements and essays for college admissions. He has done mock interviews, preparing for Friday’s event.

“For me, I love it,” he said of the Chicago Scholars lab. “I am there weekly.”

A resident of the Ashburn neighborhood on the city’s South Side, Arenas said the program’s mandatory workshops have helped keep him on track for college applications.

“It is really beneficial to you,” Arenas said of the program. “They give you so much and you have to give them so little. It helps you a lot more than you think.”

Jeffery Beckman believes so much in the program that he left his tech job to take over Chicago Scholars.

“It’s the most rewarding work of my life,” Beckman said.

He joined the program as a volunteer in 2016 and became the organization’s CEO in 2021.

“I was a first-generation college student myself,” Beckman said. “I was able to see the work Chicago Scholars does and it does a great job. It appeals to my value system of making the city and country stronger.”

After years of running a startup and doing well for himself, Beckman saw a need to help students in the city.

“Many students just don’t know the pathway to success and careers,” he said. “When I pivoted out of tech, I said, ‘There is no better time and no better organization.’ I get to see the success when a student picks the right school.”

Ongoing support

Chicago Scholars is a seven-year program where students get picked for the program at the end of

Jeffery Beckman (third from left), CEO of the Chicago Scholars program, stands with students. (Chicago Scholars photo)

their junior year of high school and get support through the start of the post-collegiate employment. Each student gets three mentors and a college counselor who work with the student on applying to at least five schools — an out-of-state choice, a Platinum Partner, a match school, a safety school and a perfect-fit match.

Mentors then work with the students on applications and interview preparations.

“Most students get 45 minutes to an hour of counseling on one of the biggest decisions of their lives,” Beckman said. “We give between 13 and 15 hours of support to our kids. We provide them with the information to make the right decision. Our mentors and coaches will be there to be the student’s cheering section.”

He noted that 79 percent of students who go through the Chicago Scholars program graduate from college within six years. The Chicago Public Schools’ rate for graduating from college in six years is 45 percent.

Beckman said the more than 6,000 individuals who have gone through the program will earn an estimated $1.8 million more than their peers.

Like Arenas, the Chicago Scholars CEO is also ready for Friday.

“It is probably my favorite day of the year,” Beckman said. “It is an emotional day. There is a lot of joy. You can literally see and feel the energy.”

For information on Chicago Scholars and its next round of applications, visit www.chicagoscholars.org.

kbeese@chronicleillinois.com