2020 Candle in the Dark honorees pose with President David Thomas. From left Verdun Perry ’94, Adebayo Ogunlesi, Lawrence E. Carter Sr., President Thomas, Lonnie
Darrious Hilmon is the executive director of the Chicago State Foundation, the chief fundraising partner of Chicago State University. Hilmon, who is a graduate of
In an ongoing effort to be good community stewards, the Greater Atlanta McDonald’s Operators’ Association awarded $40,000 in Golden Grants to top education professionals this month
In the wake of the Chicago Public Schools’ budget cut concerns, local organizations such as Stanley Coleman Jr. Productions LLC serve as a liaison in
Kent State University announced that the first graduates of LeBron James’ I Promise School in Akron, Ohio, will have their four-year college tuition paid for
Abidemi Balogun followed her dream to become a nurse. Her aspiration was to “help reduce health disparities in impoverished communities.” In the pursuit of reaching
When Stephanie Ijaola first attended college, she had no idea what she would major in. After reminiscing about her mother’s educational journey, it didn’t take
Nassim Ashford is a Mercer University senior who has been selected for one of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) Emerging Leaders Internships and will
Macire Aribot is a native Atlantan and who is passionate about policy advocacy and poverty reduction. The Mercer University senior is on track to graduate
A group of parents in California’s East Bay declared a state of emergency and is seeking $7.2 million to upend an education gap that has
Summit Academy OIC of Minneapolis continues to uphold its mission to assist individuals in developing their ability to earn and become contributing citizens of their
Michelle Obama owned 2019. Obama’s debut book Becoming is one of the bestselling memoirs in U.S. publishing history, and she was named the most admired
Gerrielle Stafford is the mother of a 3-year-old daughter and a student in nursing school at Resurrection University in Chicago. During the day, she is
Inspired by Colin Kaepernick’s on-field protests against police brutality, Tommia Dean joined the peaceful movement while cheerleading at Kennesaw State University. In 2017, Dean and
Some teachers only teach, but others are in the profession to impact lives. For Christopher Hinton, he is impacting his students’ lives daily. In 2005,
The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, aka The Consortium, provides Black and Hispanic students with an opportunity to become executives in corporate America through
Kel Mitchell is working 24/7 as an actor, a comedian, an executive producer and an entrepreneur. He is even busy every Sunday delivering the message
Fount Hankle is a registered nurse in Chicago, working in oncology. Fount began nursing school at the age of 48 while working full time in
Our nation is ablaze with political debates surrounding education, charter schools and failing public schools. I read about thousands of schools failing nationwide, and all
As this year marks the 65th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, I believe it’s appropriate to ask this question today: “Did this experiment
