LegUP Woodlawn

Welcome to campus—check out what we've been up to lately at Politipalooza today from 2pm-5pm at the IOP! See you there.

Check out our co-founder Owen Elrifi's recent highlight by Gather Activism!

To New Yorker turned proud Chicagoan Owen Elrifi, activism is important because "it’s a way that anyone can make a difference." As the co-founder of LegUP Woodlawn, Owen knows the importance of fighting for equal opportunity education in Chicago.

"While I believe in voting for a better future, elections are few and far between and policy moves slowly. Activism is a medium through which the people can express their will and demand the change they want NOW, without having to rely on anyone else. Activism is empowering and it is effective in making our voices heard as citizens of our communities, states, and of this country."

Welcome (back) to campus!

We're thrilled to kick off another year working with students in Woodlawn. If you're interested in educational equity and community engagement, or want the opportunity to take a leadership role and help us grow, look no further: apply to join LegUp at http://bit.ly/LegUpApp!

LegUp Application LegUp is a student-led civic engagement program within the Institute of Politics. We work with the UChicago Charter School in Woodlawn to mentor, tutor, and support students as they navigate high school and the college application process in order to empower our students to pursue higher education.....

Meet Owen, one of our curriculum and training developers!

Today’s civic engagement feature is Owen Elrifi, third year Public Policy and Political Science double major. Owen is on the board of Leg Up and was a participant in the 2017 Shriver Fellows Cohort as well as in the 2015 and 2016 Chicago Bound Cohorts.

Owen: “I got involved in the IOP originally through Chicago Bound, which was really exciting for me. It changed my focus entirely from life sciences to social sciences. It made me realize there was a human-centric lens that I wanted to focus on. I then started taking more advantage of what the IOP offered, working as a Fellow’s Ambassador and then joining the Shriver Fellows Cohort."

"The Leg Up program was founded [through the Shriver Program]. Community stakeholders in Woodlawn identified an education achievement gap. Having gotten into college and attended college, we all decided that that was an area where we could use our skills to assist the community. So thats where we started, all of us figuring out what we could do. Half the cohort continues to work on the project and we’ve just hired some new volunteers. We’ll all be college readiness coaches who will work in classrooms and hold office hours at UC Woodlawn High School."

“Its a meaningful project to me because it allows me to make an impact right in our community, and because its focused on education equity. I really feel strongly about education: I think its a window to opportunity and I think the idea that we don’t have a level playing field in something as basic as education is wrong. I think equal access to education solves so much whether on a personal level- empowering individuals- or on a social level- allowing for upward mobility.”

LegUP Woodlawn begins working in UC-Woodlawn this week.

Meet several members of our College Coach team!
Santi Ruiz, a third-year from Fairfax, Virginia
Radhika Upadhye, a second-year from Mason, Ohio
Zeinab Hussen, a first-year from Eden Prairie, Minnesota
Fatoumata Magassa, a first-year from New York City, New York

Radhika is a second-year majoring in English and Computer Science from Mason, Ohio. She recently joined the College Coach team at LegUP.

"I am incredibly excited for the opportunity LegUP provides to get involved in the community around the University, and I can't wait to work with local high schoolers as they navigate the college application process!"

Spencer is a third-year majoring in political science from Middlebury, Vermont. As a classroom coach manager, he works closely with LegUP's cohort of college coaches. Passionate about labor organizing, education, and politics, he is excited to begin working at UChicago Charter Woodlawn.

"I am excited for the chance to work with an amazing team to build a great program and strong relationships with one another and the school community!"

Zeinab is a first-year from Eden Prairie, Minnesota. She joined LegUP as a College Coach because of her interests in law and education.

"When I was in high school, navigating college applications proved to be more difficult than I had anticipated; however, the support of my teachers and family guided me through the process. Because LegUP is a college readiness and mentorship program, it gives me the opportunity to use those experiences as a vehicle to reduce inequalities within the education system. I look forward to creating and developing meaningful relationships with the students."

Orli is a first-year student from New York. Interested in History and English, she joined LegUP's College Coach team this winter.

"I decided to join LegUp, because without the support system that mentored me through the college process, I would never have been able to attend my dream school. I owe them so much, and the best way I can think to express my gratitude is to help others through what can frankly be a grueling and confusing process. I am so excited to meet the students at UC-Woodlawn and give them the tools to show the world how awesome they are!"

Meet Fatoumata, one of our College Coaches! Hailing from New York City, Fatou is a first-year interested in public policy and comparative human development.

"LegUP is important to me because I want to help our future leaders make better decisions and show these kids that there is someone in this world who cares and believes in them. Being able to express yourself is an important quality that every person should have, no matter what profession they choose. I want to be a part of an initiative that shows the UChicago Charter school students how to build their confidence so that they believe their voice matters, so that their words matter."

Alexa is a first-year from Washington, D.C. She joined the College Coach team at LegUP because of her interests in education, politics, and public service.

"I think that the LegUP mission is really important because the last few years of high school— and the college application process— was a really formative time for me, and I would love to share some of what I learned. I’m really looking forward to working closely with a great group of students!"