Chicago Center for Urban Life & Culture

After Her Chicago Internship Program: Amy’s Apprentice Highlights

Amy VanBecelaere, Housing Coordinator

The Urban Apprenticeship is an exciting opportunity we offer Chicago Center alumni that have just graduated college.  More than a job it offers opportunities for learning and skill development in a supportive urban learning community.

The apprenticeship started in 1990 and grew out of the mutual interests of Chicago Center alums to prolong their contact with Chicago Center and the Center’s interest in strengthening its staff and program.  It has exceeded expectations in both arenas and has become a great strength of Chicago Center. The Urban Apprentice usually spends one full year in residence at Chicago Center.  This month Amy VanBecelaere, Housing Coordinator talks about her experience with Chicago Center:

“My name is Amy VanBecelaere, and I am the current Housing Coordinator for The Chicago Center. I am a graduate of Adrian College where I received my B.A. in Psychology with minors in both Women’s Studies and Theatre (with a dance emphasis). Growing up in Metro Detroit (St. Clair Shores) with a lifelong interest in the performing arts, I had always known that I wanted to be connected to and a part of a big city, but I had little idea of how my heart would get there.

Through my undergraduate work at Adrian, I began to discover my own unique interests and life goals. I realized there that I had both a deep internal passion for dance and psychology; however I was having some trouble figuring out how to combine these interests in a concrete way. Soon enough, I was focusing my energy into the field of Dance Movement Therapy but still had little direction on how to gain any kind of experience in the field due to lack of resources of this kind in Michigan.

The Chicago Center for Urban Life and Culture entered my life at exactly the right time. Just looking through the brochure and seeing pictures of incredible mural work, African women dancing with such a glowing energy, and the general idea of living in a major city and center for culture; I knew I could find what I was looking for there. I saved all of my money for two summers and finally became a Chicago Center student in the Summer of 2008.

As I expected, Chicago as a city was bursting with possibilities. I ended up choosing an internship placement with Chicago’s only African-American modern dance company; Deeply Rooted Productions. Unlike most professional dance companies I had worked with before, Deeply Rooted had a unique focus on self-actualization through movement. Dancers (including myself) engaged in a continuum process where they grew not only as performers but as fully-functioning self-aware people as well. The Chicago Center helped me find a place where I could really develop and combine my interests in Dance and Psychology. However, my learning certainly was not limited to my internship.

The Chicago Center exposed me to so many different communities and cultures that I had never considered before. I grew immensely by interacting with community leaders, residents, performers and active citizens of Chicago. The Center really opened my mind and heart to new experiences and voices. I had always considered myself a culturally-aware, educated and open-minded person but I can say that I never truly understood what that was until I became a student at Chicago Center. I don’t know that I would have ever imagined myself, as a suburban grown white woman on stage dancing traditional African dance in full Kente cloth singing a West African Call entitled “Reza Agambani” (Feast of the Strong One), but that is where my experience took me. I returned to my campus with an experience unlike any of my classmates, I had a new found confidence in my opinions and knowledge of what it was to live in an urban environment. My professors and colleagues recognized a change in the way I interacted in the classroom and beyond. I now knew what I believed about city life because I had lived it but most importantly, I had a clear understanding of who I was as a person.

I knew that after my summer in Chicago, I would undoubtedly return to the city that became my new home and love. I also knew that only the Chicago Center could really help me truly understand what it was to be a Chicagoan. I wanted to be a part of future student’s experiences and help them find their way in the city the way I did!

As an apprentice for the Chicago Center, I am at forefront of encouraging and supporting each students own unique and fantastic experience in the city. I am grateful for the opportunity to hear stories and experiences from the students each week in my housing meetings. It is there that I also address concerns and maintenance issues. I love being able to provide support and make things easier for students as they are being challenged to grow and think in new ways in the City; it is what makes my job at the center so incredibly rewarding.

This year, my position as the housing coordinator has changed a lot. We now own our own building for student housing which we fondly call “The Boulevard”. I have been at the forefront of the transition between our old housing (renting at different units in Hyde Park) to a new building where we have really been in control and responsible for everything that happens within our own housing. After scheduling a tremendous amount of movers, cleaners and workers in all different ways (lots of support from Chicago Center staff) the building is finally finished! My crew and I were in charge of setting up the flats for students to live in for the first time in January and it appears to be a huge success. The students love our new facility and I am so proud to have played such a major role in putting things together. The whole center has spent so much time, effort and work into our new building and I think that it definitely shows.

Now that the biggest job is done, I am responsible for the maintenance and order of the building. I also prepare housing for incoming students each semester as well as our short term LC! Programs. I try to be a resource for students in any way I can, and I am extremely blessed to be part of such an incredible program that is working to expand the minds of students and faculty across the country. I only have a few short months left with the Chicago Center, and I will cherish them forever I am sure. I am currently interested in looking for a job in a social service setting and am actively looking for opportunities to use my dance/theatre experience to help people in any way I can. Come August, I will be attending graduate school at Columbia College Chicago and will earn my masters degree in Dance/Movement Therapy and Mental Health Counseling in the next few years. I know that my time and experiences here at The Chicago Center have without doubt helped me accomplish that goal and will continue to influence and inspire any goals I set for the future!”

We’d like to thank Amy for telling us about her experience and letting us share it with our potential students and alumni!

After His Chicago Internship Program: Steve’s Apprentice Highlights

Steve Broadwell, Recruitment Coordinator

The Urban Apprenticeship is an exciting opportunity we offer Chicago Center alumni that have just graduated college.  More than a job it offers opportunities for learning and skill development in a supportive urban learning community.

The apprenticeship started in 1990 and grew out of the mutual interests of Chicago Center alums to prolong their contact with Chicago Center and the Center’s interest in strengthening its staff and program.  It has exceeded expectations in both arenas and has become a great strength of Chicago Center. The Urban Apprentice usually spends one full year in residence at Chicago Center.  This month Steve Broadwell, Recruitment Coordinator talks about his experience with Chicago Center: Read More

Our Chicago Internship Program in the Press: Josh LeGreve in the Herald Times Reporter

Out of His Comfort Zone

TR native gets taste of big city life by student teaching in Chicago
By Cindy Hodgson • Herald Times Reporter • March 2, 2010

Josh LeGreve, back right, long-term substitute Spanish teacher in the Mishicot School District, helps students set up their personal accounts on the Edmodo Web site so they can converse with Justin Gerlach's English students in Argentina. LeGreve is filling in for Gerlach, who took a leave of absence from teaching in Mishicot to teach English to Spanish-speaking students in Argentina. He is helping, from left, sophomores Jacob LeFleur, Nathan Krcma and Andrew Schwerma. In the background is senior Kiyanna Faulks. (Sue Pischke/HTR)

MISHICOT — When it came time to do his student teaching, Two Rivers native Josh LeGreve decided not to go the usual route.

LeGreve, 23, said most of his fellow students at Ripon College choose to student teach at a nearby school, such as in Ripon, Oshkosh or Fond du Lac.

“I wanted to move out of my comfort zone,” he said. “I wanted to push myself as a teacher.”

LeGreve decided to do his student teaching in Chicago through a partnership Ripon College has with the Chicago Center for Urban Life & Culture. Read More

After Her Chicago Internship Program: Michelle’s Apprentice Highlights

Michelle Bess, LearnChicago! Coordinator

The Urban Apprenticeship is an exciting opportunity we offer Chicago Center alumni that have just graduated college.  More than a job it offers opportunities for learning and skill development in a supportive urban learning community.

The apprenticeship started in 1990 and grew out of the mutual interests of Chicago Center alums to prolong their contact with Chicago Center and the Center’s interest in strengthening its staff and program.  It has exceeded expectations in both arenas and has become a great strength of Chicago Center. The Urban Apprentice usually spends one full year in residence at Chicago Center.  This month Michelle Bess, LearnChicago! Coordinator talks about her experience with Chicago Center. Read More

After Her Chicago Internship Program: Emilie’s Apprentice Highlights

Emilie Lewandowski, Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator

The Urban Apprenticeship is an exciting opportunity we offer Chicago Center alumni that have just graduated college.  More than a job it offers opportunities for learning and skill development in a supportive urban learning community.

The apprenticeship started in 1990 and grew out of the mutual interests of Chicago Center alums to prolong their contact with Chicago Center and the Center’s interest in strengthening its staff and program.  It has exceeded expectations in both arenas and has become a great strength of Chicago Center. The Urban Apprentice usually spends one full year in residence at Chicago Center.  This month Emilie Lewandowski, Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator talks about her experience with Chicago Center.

“Hi! I’m Emilie, one of the current apprentices at Chicago Center for Urban Life and Culture. I graduated in May from Eastern Michigan University, with an undergraduate degree in Psychology.  I am originally from Lexington, Michigan, a very small town on Lake Huron. It has been an exciting road that has led me to where I am today – Chicago!

In the summer of 2008, I attended Chicago Center for Urban Life and Culture as an Urban Academic Student. During that time, I had an internship at Apna Ghar Inc., a domestic violence agency focused on serving the South Asian population in Chicago.  I chose this internship because it offered me an experience I could not get in my home town.  In my time at Apna Ghar, I learned how non-profit organizations operate and the obstacles that they face. I learned how to work and communicate effectively as minority.  I also realized a lot about the injustices in our society, and how much I wanted to be a part of fixing that. Working at Apna Ghar provided me with invaluable experiences for my future, and it also helped me focus on finding direction in my own life. Read More

Alumni Update

Here at the Chicago Center, we love hearing feedback from alumni! Chicago Center Alumni Shava Jamerson writes:

“The Chicago Center was such a great experience for me and if it was not for your program I would not have accomplished as much as I did. After I interned for the Legion Records thanks to the Chicago Center, that gave me the confidence to move forward and I ended up interning at one of the largest records labels in the country SONYBMG in New York City. I can say that it was only because of my persistence that I got from your program and Wilberforce of course that landed me the position. I worked in the Human Resources department at SONY but still I learned a lot about the business of music. I did paper work, event planning, and I also helped conduct orientations for new hires.
I am 100% sure that Chicago is where I want to be!”

Alums out in the World

Below are photos of Chicago Center Alumni exploring the world!

 Andrew Chipman with his class and on his honeymoon.
  

 Kristin Buller in Cambodia.

 Jon Kapp and his family in Hong Kong.

Alumni Visit!

Dave Dale, former staffer and alum of Chicago Center (when it was Urban Life Center) stopped by with a special guest!

January 2003 Alumni Update

Five years after completing the Chicago Center program, alumnus Jennifer Kennedy shares how her experience in Chicago has impacted her life.

“Hi,

My name is Jennifer Kennedy. I attended a January term back in 2003. I did my month long internship with Arvis Averette (Woodlawn East Community and Neighbors). It was one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences I have ever had. He was hard on me and had high expectation, but he taught me so much and helped me grow as an individual. Toward the end of my term he told me that if I did not go back and get a Master’s degree in something counseling or social work related I was an idiot. Well I would like him to know I took his advice and I will be graduating in May.

I really wanted to e-mail him to say hi and to thank him for his influence and let him no that I am not an idiot:)
Sincerely,

Jennifer Kennedy”

Arvis Averette is also the Social Work Practicum director at the Chicago Center.

J-Term Alumni Update

At Chicago Center, we love hearing from our alumni! Here is a letter we recently received from an alum of our January Term:

“Hey, this is Andrew Goodwin a past student at the Chicago Center, and a intern in the press department at the RainbowPUSH Coalition. I am so happy and blessed I have had the privilege of meeting and getting to know each and single one of you! You all have made my time and experience in Chicago a fulfilled experience greater than my expectations. I can recall all the jokes, laughs, and serious times during the time I spent there in Chicago, and you all made it feel like home, even though I was not able to stay much longer. The personalities I met has made an impact on me, and I wanted to let you all know you guys meant a lot in my personal growth as I go through my undergrad studies. I would hope and pray that I may be able to reside in Chicago after graduation, and if not by the lord’s will I will keep in contact with you all! I will keep you all in my prayers, and send you some important information I ever come across, or just give you a heads up on how I am doing.

With the experience of being in the press department has gave me a range of what I want to do in life and what I do not want to do. I would not trade the experience for anything in the world, and I am happy to know what I got from the experience wasn’t just how PR works, but everlasting relationships I never expected. As I am growing, and trying to figure out what I want to do in my life, I realize that my undergrad studies and life will be a great time to exercise the desires of what I want to do for a career. Again I will keep you posted on what goes down in NEBRASKA! Its a totally different world than Chicago, and I am sure the stories will amuse you all. Call me anytime, and email me back. Thanks!”