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 Megan Crawford, LearnChicago! Coordinator talks about her experience with Chicago Center:

“I can’t believe it’s already my turn to write an Apprentice blog! That means our time as employees of Chicago Center is almost over. I have some amazing experiences as the LearnChicago! Program Coordinator. I have had a blast working with so many great colleges and diverse groups. I’ve loved participating in the programs and learning along with the students. I’ve been challenged and encouraged to take autonomy of my position, and my own abilities and career goals have, undoubtedly, been strengthened. Truthfully, I have loved every part of the past year and it still seems surreal that I get paid to work with such a fantastic group of individuals.

The Center is an amazing organization and, if anything, this year has showed me that it serves a different role for everyone. Each student finds something unique within its pedagogy. Some find answers to personal struggles within their class discussions; some find their vocation through internships; others arrive in the big city and find their future home. Regardless of the form it takes, each student who attends Chicago Center finds one thing: transformation.

Truthfully, I applied to the Apprenticeship program with very selfish reasons. I was at a point in my life where I needed change and I wanted to live in a city where I would be accepted. I wanted a job that would let me transform, both professionally and personally – and it has.

Chicago Center has become like family; it has given me the courage to start over, the confidence to live openly, and a supportive environment in which to question my beliefs. We are all different: not everyone on staff necessarily loves Barack Obama, holds the same religious beliefs, or even thinks the White Sox are God’s gift to baseball. But those differences [except maybe disliking the White Sox] are encouraged.

In my opinion, that’s the best part of Chicago Center and the highlight of my position as LearnChicago! Program Coordinator. I have been able to witness how the programs and activities I’ve planned have affected dozens of students. Whatever the class and wherever state they’re from, there’s always at least one student who voices how Chicago transforms him. I have seen so many students come to this city and find a community that meets their needs and interests and, for the first time, feel a certain acceptance. I’ve watched students face their fear of living, working, and navigating big cities and discover an independence they hadn’t thought possible. Some just leave with a more open mind and a better understanding of the world around them. I am so grateful to have been a part of it.

In one of his all-staff emails, Scott Chesebro, our venerated Executive Director, described a recent political change as “an affirmation of the value of inclusion in dialogue and of the recognition of the human experience of difference.” To me, this speaks to the heart of the Center. This program allows students to express and embrace the most important, and often vastly unique, parts of them. And, fortunately for me, it allows staff members to do the same.

So thanks, Chicago Center: hopefully the new Apprentices find their year on staff just as transformative as we did.”

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

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 Okwara Uzoh, Marketing and Public Relations coordinator talks about his experience with Chicago Center:

“When I first came to the United States at the age of nine, I landed at O’Hare airport. The first American soil I touched was Chicago soil. My first passport came from Chicago. The second zoo I ever went to was in Chicago, and the first play I ever went to in a big city was at the Goodman Theatre when I was in 11th grade. Notice a trend here? So, although I lived only two hours away from Chicago in the little town of Berrien Springs for nine years out of my life, I had always wanted to experience the real Chicago. Yes, I had been downtown, been a tourist, saw the big city as an immigrant, and all that jazz, but I’d never gotten to explore the ‘real’ Chicago on my own.

The opportunity came when Emily Nelson and Tiffanie Beatty came to my Intermediate Acting class during my junior year of college. I was already looking for an internship to do following my junior of college and when I found out that Alma College had an off-campus Chicago program, I was hooked. Tiff and Emily caught me at the most opportune time; this was the moment I had been waiting for all my life – to actually live in Chicago and explore.

Being the college student I am, I rushed to get all my documents in the day before it was due. I did not want to miss this window. The year flew by quickly and summer 2008 rolled around. I was driving along with my friends Kristin and Beth in an SUV to experience something that I was not ready for. I can’t even begin to describe this feeling. I was nervous and excited at the same time. I finally arrived and ran into Scott, who directed me to the Drexel apartments. I got to my room, unpacked my belongings, breathed a sigh of relief and embraced that I was finally here. I was about to live in Chicago for the best two months of my life.

During my two months in Chicago, I had so many amazing experiences. I tried new foods and met different people — even some who had the same experiences I did as an immigrant. I attended multiple festivals and saw Snoop Dogg and 311 perform live. I went to my first baseball game, was exposed to tons of important issues others weren’t even aware of, and put myself out there to experience the real Chicago.

The Center challenged me on a lot of things, but there’s one that sticks out: my identity.

My identity. I always thought of myself as two things: Nigerian and black. Yes, I have black skin and I have all the attributes of being a black person in America, but I am a purebred Nigerian at heart. That is something I never took into consideration until I saw how segregated the city of Chicago is. It was staring me right in the face. I would be riding the bus on the south side with African Americans, but I never felt the part of being an African American. I speak, dress, and carry myself differently. I like rock music more than rap. I don’t fit all the stereotypes of your typical African American. I came to terms that I am a Nigerian. I am proud of my identity. The more I came to terms with it, the more I did research about my country and talked to my parents about the history of my country. I also went back home and made it my goal to learn how to speak my language, Igbo.

Thanks to all of the things I was exposed to, I was sad to leave this wonderful city. I had always wanted to live in a big city again after growing up in Lagos, Nigeria. Chicago felt like home. I didn’t know how I was going to end up here. As I was giving Scott a hug on wrap up, I stated, “I should be an apprentice.” He gave me the ‘Scott laugh’ (which all of you know) and said, “Apply and see what happens.” I nodded and said, “Yes.” Two years flew by and I applied for the apprenticeship program and got the job as the Marketing and P.R. Coordinator.

During my time as an apprentice, I have continued to add on from where I left off after my term as a student. I know the behind-the-scenes work of what went into my term as a summer student. It’s a lot of work. We have a small staff, but we get a lot of objectives accomplished. I have been able to use my computer knowledge in the office. I was able to help organize the 40th Anniversary, which turned out to be a great event. To see all the work that was put into a huge event and have such a great result was rewarding. I have also been able to meet resources that other classes participated in. The list goes on and on about the opportunities I have had as an apprentice. There’s still more to come with the amount of time I have left in my position.

I have been grateful for the chance to come back and be an apprentice and bring some of my ideas to the table as a Chicago Center staff member. I continue to explore this great city for what it has to offer. Some of it includes having Teyonda showing me the great deals on restaurants.com, Groupon and Poggled; I’ve experienced everything from baseball games and the Bears almost going to the Super Bowl to Rahm winning the mayoral election. There has been so much going on that I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am for being in the city at this time. I continue to grow as a person being in this position and continue to learn from all the people around me.”

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

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 Cameron Siefkes, Recruitment and Campus Relations Coordinator talks about her experience with Chicago Center:

“Rolling into the city with my mother and step-father in the front seat and all of my stuff piled up around me felt quite different the second time around. The sight of the skyline and thinking about my mommy leaving me all alone in this huge metropolis didn’t make me feel physically ill like when I was a student. Instead, it brought back the excitement, all of the fond memories I had from the two months I had spent in Chicago the year before, and reminded me of the change I had experienced within myself. I was back in the city I fell in love with and was ready to see the next way the Chicago Center would have an impact on my life.

It has been about eight months since that long drive from Kansas. Now I’m sitting next to my fearless leader – i.e. my supervisor – Mr. Lane Chesebro, in the Education Department at Coe College. We’re here recruiting the future students of Chicago Center. Being the Recruitment and Campus Relations Coordinator for the Center has not only brought me to this campus in Iowa, but also to places in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, and of course, the great state of Kansas. I’ve also been fortunate to have a hand in all of the other recruitment trips we’ve sent staff members on and have become quite the negotiator on Priceline by bidding on hotel rooms like nobody’s business. I’ve been learning the ins and outs of what it takes to be successful in this aspect of our organization. It has been like getting a backstage look at one of my favorite shows in the theatre. You can’t have a show without all that goes on behind the scenes, and we certainly couldn’t have the Chicago Center without our students.

My professors from Southwestern College would be proud to see me utilizing the skills I learned from my communication courses. No matter how many times I got up in front of my peers, I would get nervous. Now, it feels like second nature to present to these students on each campus. Of course, there are always going to be the ones who roll their eyes at you when you begin to speak about coming to live, learn, and work in Chicago. For me, the rewarding part comes when you see that one student who gets a little sparkle in his/her eye when we explain the program. We can speak to hundreds of students on one campus, but the real excitement comes when we receive those one or two applications in the mail. It’s amazing to know that the words I spoke were possibly a small part of helping that student see that he or she belongs in our program.

Each presentation reminds me of my own experience as a student in the Summer of 2009. As with most students, the initial draw of the program for me was the internship. However, the seminar and being exposed to the faces, neighborhoods, and problems in Chicago were what really affected me the most. My naivety quickly reared its ugly head, and I realized that most of my understanding of the world had come from one perspective. In Chicago, I received the perspective of voices I had never heard or taken the time to listen to before. Exposure to people from all types of backgrounds helped changed the way I viewed the world and the perceptions I had of the people in it.

My time here as an apprentice has only been a continuation of that learning process and my growth as an individual. Every day when I go into work, I feel blessed to have been chosen to have this experience with the other four apprentices. These people have been a part of one of the most significant parts of my life and moving on will be difficult. I am thankful for the opportunity, for the new friends, and the further enrichment of my life. I feel more confident every day, more aware of what I am capable of, and more proud of who I am. I wouldn’t necessarily say that I am a different person after this experience. Instead, I say that Chicago and the Center have helped me become the person I was always supposed to be.”

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

The Chicago Center for Urban Life & Culture was founded in 1970, and since then has helped thousands of college students make Chicago their classroom. The Chicago Center serves students from more than 30 liberal arts colleges and universities by providing practicum opportunities in all academic majors as well as urban teaching and social work in Chicago.

The Chicago Center engages students with urban resources, realities, and issues through a first voice pedagogy which uses the city directly as a teaching resource.

Upon arrival, students share apartments in the heart of Hyde Park (1327 E. Hyde Park Boulevard). They receive a one – or two-week course in the culture of the city, attending a variety of different religious services, plays, music, venues, museums, and festivals throughout the city.

After touring of the city, students are steered towards an internship that will challenge their particular academic interests.

StreetWise has hosted six interns from the Chicago Center in the last three years, including Brenna Daldorph, whose  August 5, 2009 cover story won ‘Best Feature’ at this year’s North American Street Newspaper Association (NASNA) awards.

Rachel Sylwestrzak, the most recent intern, told us about her experience with the Chicago Center and interning at StreetWise.

“I was interested in publishing, and StreetWise was one of the contacts that the Center game me.” Sylwestrzak said. “It wasn’t the exact idea I had in mind, but I thought that working here would challenge me, in addition to giving me an inside look at a lifestyle that I hadn’t really been exposed to. I’m glad I came here, because it worked out great. One thing that was kind of big for me – I live in the suburbs, and we don’t have public transportation. One of the things the Center stressed was how to use the CTA to get around the city. So, it’s made me more comfortable when I have to go out to different locations for stories,” She continued.

“I got to cover a few city hall meetings, which is something I’d never got to do before. It was very interesting and definitely something I will remember from my experience here in Chicago.”

Sylwestrzak concluded, “The Chicago Center is very supportive of the internship. I like how they let us take charge of the experience. It’s been a perfect fit.”

Marit Ehmke interned at StreetWise through Chicago Center in January 2009. Reflecting on her experiences, she said, “I learned a lot of new things, met a lot of great people, and experience what life in Chicago is really all about. Working at StreetWise reminded me of how important it is to help out in when, where, and any way you can.”

For more information about the Chicago Center for Urban Life & Culture, visit www. chicagocenter.org, or call 773.262.1313

The Second City and Improv in Chicago
Chicago is primarily known for its comedy and improv. Like Hollywood calls to aspiring movie stars, our beautiful city hosts the best up-and-coming improv and sketch comedians in the nation at The Second City theater in the Old Town neighborhood. Celebrating “50 years of funny,” The Second City trains writers and actors who have gone on to star in Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, The Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm and many major motion pictures.

Some of the most famous Second City alums include Joan Rivers, Alan Alda, Alan Arkin, Jerry Stiller, John and Jim Belushi, Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Eugene Levy, Mike Myers, Chris Farley, Steve Carrell, Steven Colbert and Tina Fey, among countless others. While you’re in Chicago, you can see the birth of comical genius at The Second City.

There’s a large theater for the main show, as well as a more intimate one for longer running shows. No matter what you see, crowd participation is a must, so come armed with ideas and a good attitude! With material that is often based in current events and the politcal atmosphere, a show at The Second City can definitely be a conversation starter. Plus, you can enroll in writing or improv classes at their training center and make your own start.

The collaborative nature of Chicago improv is a must-have experience while living in the city. Luckily, you don’t have to visit just one theater to find it. Community and college theaters across Chicago have weekly improv and sketch comedy shows that vary in length, price and topic. While The Second City is the most famous, you can see budding comedians honing their angle throughout the city’s neighborhoods and even get on stage yourself.

The Lookingglass Theater
Founded by Northwestern University alumni, The Lookingglass Theater Company is a growing company that has become a mainstay in the Chicago theater scene. Now in its 21st season, the company resides in a historic home in the center of downtown Chicago on Michigan Avenue — the Water Tower Water Works building. Taking in a show at The Lookingglass Theater lets you into a distinct Chicago landmark while also introducing you to one of the more provocative theater companies in the city.

The shows put on by The Lookingglass Theater run from traditional to modern, and the company has shown 52 original works in its run. Their most famous works focus on the intellectual and physical elements of theater. Their current production, Trust, is written and directed by David Schwimmer, famous as Ross on the TV show Friends. In its exploration of the dangers of modern communication technologies, it involves projection, video, photos, texting and live chat for a truly multimedia theater experience.

Goodman Theater & Cadillac Palace Theater
For truly famous theater in Chicago, you can visit the theater district of the downtown Loop area. There you’ll find the historic Goodman and Cadillac Palace Theaters with famous faces and hit plays. The Goodman was founded in 1925 and is the oldest and largest non-profit theater in Chicago. It has been a part of Chicago’s art culture for over 80 years, so in addition to its classic and contemporary works of theater, it also brings a sense of history to its productions.

Meanwhile, the Cadillac Palace Theater, founded just after the Goodman in 1926, is the home of Broadway in Chicago. For big ticket musicals and plays, this is traditional theater experience. A play at the Cadillac Palace Theater will give you insight not just into Chicago’s art world but the national theater scene. However, in its past the Cadillac Palace Theater has shown everything from vaudeville to movies, but now is known as a national theater landmark, showing well known shows like Les Miserables and The Phantom of the Opera, and premiering shows like The Producers, The Color Purple and Aida.

The Steppenwolf Theater Company
Founded by Gary Sinise, Terry Kenney and Jeff Perry in the suburbs of Chicago in the ’70s, The Steppenwolf has since moved into Lincoln Park and become one of the most prominent theater companies in the U.S. By featuring up-and-coming and mid-career playwrights, The Steppenwolf has given exposure to many artists that become important on a national level. Many plays that premiered at The Steppenwolf have gone on to win international acclaim, including winner of the Tony Award for Best Play, The Grapes of Wrath, and winner of multiple Tonys and a Pulitzer Prize, August: Osage County.

The Steppenwolf has launched the careers of many famous actors like its founder Gary Sinise, along with John Malkovich, Joan Allen, John Mahoney, Martha Plimpton and Laurie Metcalf. Its history of challenging plays provides a theater experience that is satisfying for theater neophytes and experienced theater-goers.

Community Theater in Chicago
Along with these major players, Chicago is the proud host of many community and neighborhood theater companies, each making important contributions to the art and culture of the city.

Chicago Center has special relationships with many local theater companies and encourages our students to visit these small theaters with as much enthusiasm as the large ones. Bailiwick Chicago, a diverse theater collective, and Teatro Luna, a company comprised entirely of Latina women, are two of our favorites. A theater experience with one of these small theaters gives you an even closer relationship to the city through experiencing its community’s voice in a dramatic or comedic production.

Whether you are interested in actually participating in the arts through a Chicago internship or you just want to learn more about the city and its culture during your time at the Chicago Center, diving into Chicago’s theater scene will be rewarding.

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:

“My name is Steve Broadwell, and I have been working as Recruitment Coordinator since mid-August, when I joined the Chicago Center’s staff along with the other apprentices.  My job at the Center requires me to help bring students to Chicago, whether that be by organizing and scheduling many of the details of recruitment trips to our cooperating colleges around the country, by helping perspective and incoming students complete their applications, through answering any questions or concerns students might have about the Chicago Center or the city, or by going on recruitment trips and speaking with students and professors about the Center.

Much of the work I do is actually behind the scenes, keeping the program running at full capacity.  The most important parts of my job come during the months during the times when we have representatives around the country, meaning that during this time I am always planning, scheduling, calling, writing emails, searching through and updating our various databases, and making sure that the trips are all working according to plan.  Despite the great levels of work during this time (and stress, too), the results always yield success: there are students presently sending applications and getting ready to attend the Center from trips I have organized—a fact I take great pride in.  And, there are even students submitting applications with whom I have personally spoken to about the Center.  It is very exciting for me to work with people who are so passionate about both their work and their city, and I am always amazed by our students who end their time at the Chicago Center with that very same passion.

Where does that come from?

In February I went on a week-long recruitment trip to Kansas with Lane.  The cities and the schools we visited reminded me of the places where I have spent my life.  I was fortunate enough to grow up in a small town in Ohio called Oberlin where my mom and dad and family and friends were nice enough to let me explore the always exciting people and things that can only happen in that town.  I was also fortunate enough to go to Albion College in Michigan where my Sociology professors, Scott and Len, were nice enough to give me a book or idea and then let me run in whatever direction I could with ideas.  When I came to the Chicago Center in the fall of 2007, I was able to use these same ideas and experiences, which were not necessarily foreign to me, but new nonetheless in how I perceived them as related to my own lifestyle.  This started around the time I began venturing outside of Hyde Park on my own…

This is what I found myself explaining to students in Kansas: the experience you can have with the Chicago Center does not necessarily have to be new and it doesn’t have to frighten you or your parents, but it ultimately comes down to what you are willing and capable of putting forth towards what you know and what you act on.  It is great, I told one student interested in music performance, to hear jazz played in a band at your college—but imagine being able to go out to hear something new when jazz is mixed and played live with Latin music at a festival downtown!

And this is actually the reason I decided to come back to the Center following my graduation: it was an opportunity to continue exploring the resources I have available, and then see what I can make of those same resources to find a job in urban planning.  My thought is that the city of Chicago (and the rest of the world, too) is so incredibly complex, that I want to know how the city effects how people and their communities interact and perceive themselves in all levels of society.  Learning and working with the Chicago Center has been a pleasure for me, and I hope that I am able to continue exploring what the city has to offer me when my apprenticeship ends in August.”

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

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.

After graduating first in his class at Two Rivers High School in 2005, LeGreve went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and physics with a minor in secondary education, graduating in December, he said.

He is working as a long-term substitute for the Mishicot School District this semester, teaching middle school and high school Spanish.

LeGreve said he was one of five students from his college who chose to student teach in Chicago last semester.

Student teachers have to be approved by the center and by the Chicago Public Schools, he said. The center then matches them with a school and with a mentor teacher.

LeGreve was assigned to Kenwood Academy High School, which he said is “a very academically rigorous school on the south side.” He said it’s in the middle of the poverty spectrum.

Kenwood Academy is a seventh- through 12th-grade school with 1,800 students — twice the size of his college, LeGreve said.

The seventh- and eighth-grade portion is a magnet school for academically motivated students who come from a broad geographical area. The ninth- through 12th-grade portion is a typical neighborhood high school, although students who have attended junior high there can continue.

LeGreve needed a student teaching experience that included Spanish and physics, both in middle school and high school.

“Somehow they found it all in one school,” he said.

The big-city culture was something he hadn’t experienced before. Even the semester he spent in Spain was in a small town.

“I was small town boy through and through,” he said.

LeGreve said he believes without the Chicago experience he wouldn’t be as confident, flexible and quick-thinking in the classroom as he is now.

For one thing, there wasn’t as much technology to rely on, so he had to be more resourceful.

In addition, his students came from a different background than he was used to, which also stretched him.

“It really pushed me to get to know my students, to get to know what motivates them, and to get to know

what would keep their attention,” he said.

He learned, for instance, he had to be more direct in telling the students what to do, and that “for some of these kids, school is not their priority.” They may have other issues, like needing to help support their family financially.

Students at Kenwood had to pass through metal detectors to enter the school, and teachers and students had to wear photo ID badges. The students’ ID even had their schedule printed on the back, he said.

But despite the differences, “no matter where you are, the core necessities that kids need are still the same,” he said.

Specifically, they need to feel accepted and safe and like they’ve achieved something, LeGreve said.

LeGreve didn’t visit other schools during his semester of student teaching, but he had that opportunity in May when he participated in Ripon College’s “Maymester,” which is a short extra term at the end of second semester.

Because he knew he would be student teaching in Chicago in the fall, he participated in a weeklong Chicago excursion through the Chicago Center for Urban Life & Culture. He said he visited 10 or 12 schools as he learned how to integrate art into the classroom.

Prior to that, his only time in Chicago had been a trip to the Shedd Aquarium and Field Museum with his dad when he was in sixth grade, he said.

At the start of the fall semester, the student teachers moved in 10 days before classes began and had nine days of activities to help them acclimate to their new city, LeGreve said.

They learned how to use public transportation and how to carry themselves with confidence. They also went on architectural tours and to plays and music festivals.

“They took us to both extremes,” he said about the socioeconomic differences in the city.

LeGreve said the experience clarified something for him.

“Before I did the program, I had no clue where I wanted to teach,” he said. Now “I feel like I can teach anywhere and be happy. I would love to go back to Chicago, but I’m not pigeonholing myself into that.”

He said he is applying for positions throughout Chicago and also in Wisconsin.

We’ll help you take your work experience and understand it in the context of the city and its unique cultural and economic background. Meanwhile, you’ll be in charge of your own career education while you are on the job. There are many things you can learn from an internship, whether it’s your first one or one of many you’ve worked in. Here are just a few of the skills you can expect to pick up in an internship in Chicago.

Multitasking and Time Management

In high school and college, you have to balance many time commitments, classes and jobs, but when you work in an internship or job, you realize how different multitasking on the job can be. Rather than being able to dedicate your full attention to one task for an extended period of time or until it’s finished, you often have to juggle projects and finish them all quickly and efficiently.

Instead of sitting down to write a paper and finishing a few hours later, you can find yourself with multiple deadlines on different tasks while also manning other constant responsibilities– like answering the phone or responding to customer service emails– that require sporadic attention.

What this will teach you (and quickly!) is how to manage your time properly. You will learn to understand which things you can do quickly, which things that take you a little more time and effort, and how to balance those things so that you get them all done in the time allotted. For some, the best strategy is knocking out all the quick tasks and then devoting serious time to the tougher ones. For others, it’s accomplishing the one time-consuming problem first, and then doing the shorter, easier tasks with the left over time.

You’ll find the best ways to work on multiple tasks and to manage your time for yourself with a little experience in an internship. And while you are gathering valuable work knowledge in the office, you’ll be encouraged to understand your place in the city in a larger context through your Chicago Center seminars and community based education.

Basic Software Skills

If you are working in an office, then you may have to pick up new software skills on the job. Whether it’s a retail system, bookkeeping software or simply a new messaging or word processing software, any new software skill is great to add to your resume.

Plus, if you continue to work in that industry, the software skills you learn may be part of the basic knowledge it takes to succeed. When potential employers can tell that you already have the basic skills of an entry level employee in their company, it can give you a leg up toward getting hired when you start looking for a full time position.

When to Ask for Help, When to Take Initiative

Some knowledge you may gain while working an internship is how to balance taking direction and finding your own way on certain tasks. You may be given an assignment you don’t fully understand or with vague instructions. There are times when the best thing to do is ask questions until you understand exactly what your boss or supervisor is expecting from you.

There will also be times when you should take on the task and complete it in the way you see fit. It might take some trial and error to complete a task with less specific instructions, but sometimes that’s the right thing to do. You can show off the quality of your work and your ability to adapt by taking on a project without a lot of direction or supervision.

But if your boss was looking for a specific outcome–and you fail to understand that and deliver it–you may disappoint with your independent work. In an internship, you will learn how to figure out when ask for more direction and when to work independently. Simply the experience of having to make this decision as best you can will help you to make it more confidently in the future.

Finding a New Industry

When you start an internship, it may not be in the industry you first imagined, or it may be in an industry you weren’t familiar with at all before you started working in it. But this can be a great thing, says Christian Deloach, Creative Director of Fishnet NewMedia in Massachusetts. And he speaks from his personal internship experience:

Internships can open a world of opportunity that you didn’t even know existed. I was an illustration major with an eye toward book illustration when I was invited to intern with a new media production company. My internship opportunity at Fishnet NewMedia exposed me to technology and people who sparked my interest in new media production and Web site design. When I returned to college for my senior year I focused on course work that enhanced my skills in the tools and technology used by professional Web designers. Since I had worked closely with the team at Fishnet NewMedia, I knew how to augment my portfolio with class projects and other work that would demonstrate that I would add value as a full time employee. When I expressed interest in returning after graduation, they welcomed me back.

Like Deloach, you’ll have the opportunity to use your internship to explore a new industry, better your marketable skills, and network at your company if you think you want to return to work there.

In your Chicago internship program, you’ll work with us to find a position in a company that you think will help you learn these basic skills, along with many other skills that you can’t predict. All of them will help you become a better hire when you start looking for a full-time job after college.

Our network of hundreds of agencies, corporate organizations, arts groups, and other institutions will provide the internship that will allow you to contribute in significant and meaningful ways within a supportive work environment.

Meanwhile, you’ll come home to friends and peers at a Chicago Center apartment, and be able to explore the city and learn from its neighborhoods, too. What’s the outcome? An enriching experience enhancing both your personal and career growth.

Community Education Chicago: A Definition

Community education means exactly what it sounds like– learning directly from Chicago’s neighborhoods by participating in activities and events important to the community itself.

Chicago Center calls this educational philosophy First Voice pedagogy.  We engage students with urban resources, realities, and issues through a First Voice pedagogy which utilizes the city directly as a teaching resource. First Voice pedagogy integrates community based resources and experiential education into more traditional ways of learning; seminars are designed to extend the text into the dynamics of the city.

First Voice brings the liberal arts into practice by engaging students in a dialogue with artists, historians, writers, and activists.

At Chicago Center, we encourage you and your fellow students to take part in the activities in Chicago that matter most to Chicagoans themselves and that shape and reflect the culture and neighborhoods of the city. There is no better way to get to know a city and its neighborhoods than to forgo the usual tourist stops and experience the culture of the locals first hand. We think you should eat what Chicagoans love to eat, listen to their music, and see their forms of self-expression to better understand the city and its people. If you are from Chicago, seek out a part of the city you aren’t familiar with.

Here are some of the experiences our students have learned from and why they are so important to understanding the Chicago community from the inside out.

Community Education Chicago: Cultural Opportunities

Theater: From one of the best improv comedy theaters in the nation, The Second City, to the well-known Goodman Theater, we encourage students to take part in the Chicago theater scene. This particular form of expression has grown with the city to embrace smaller theater companies such as Teatro Luna and Bailiwick and allow them to flourish.

Chicago Center students studying off campus with David Zac, Artistic Director at Bailiwick Repertory Theater

Why does this art form flourish in Chicago, and which pieces resonate the most with Chicagoans? What kind of theater best expresses the neighborhoods and culture of the city– community comedy or large scale dramatic productions? You can find out firsthand by checking out some shows while you study off campus in Chicago.

Food: Chicago is home to some of the most decadent and gourmet dining destinations in the world, but what food inspires the citizens of the city day to day? Eating the local fare can be the best way to understand the history and culture of a place, and we encourage you to try foods new and old to Chicago during your stay. Discover the delicacies of the city and why the people of Chicago came to value them.

Sometimes visitors comment that traveling through Chicago’s neighborhoods feels like traveling through many countries; our students experience world cultures through the many languages spoken and world cuisines of the distinct areas of our home city.

Chicago Center interns out to dinner in the city.

Another great opportunity for community education is to eat in diners and dives in various neighborhoods, and meet the citizens who influence the neighborhood directly at its meeting places. Sometimes the place a community coalesces is a coffee shop or a local eatery. While you’ll cook dinners with your roommates in your apartment, we also encourage you to engage in your neighborhood by visiting local haunts and meeting the people that work and patron there.

Sports: What makes a city love its sports teams so much? Whether it’s the Bears, Cubs, Sox, Bulls, ‘Hawks or one of the many other teams around the city, we encourage you to join the Chicago fans in cheering them on.

Chicago Center Students participating in community education at a White Sox Game.

Just look at what winning the Super Bowl has done for the spirits of the people of New Orleans. What historical significance do Wrigley and Soldier Field contribute to Chicago? Which neighborhoods cheer for which teams? Find out while you’re here and gain a deeper understanding of Chicago culture while you’re at it. There’s no more fun form of community education than immersing yourself in the following of a local team!

Music: What tells the story of a city better than its music, and what city has a richer musical culture than Chicago? Blues and Jazz blossomed here, and now the city hosts musical events from alt-rock and country festivals in the summer to performances by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra year round. Many folk musicians stop by the Old Town School of Folk Music on a regular basis. Some of the most famous and up-and-coming rap and R&B artists are from Chicago and often bless the mic at local hot spots.

Music is simply a form of storytelling, and storytelling fills us in on the history of a city and its neighborhoods in the most personal way possible. What inspires the musicians of Chicago to play, and what draws musicians here from across the country? During your stay at Chicago Center, we hope you’ll experience the music of the city with your fellow students and see for yourself how it deepens your understanding of the city and your community education.

While internships are an integral part of your Chicago Center learning experience, what you learn from your stay in the city and the activities in each neighborhood is just as important!

With an educated and informed staff to guide you to the best cultural and community events and to help you understand their meaning and history, you can get the most fulfilling education from the experiences you have while at the Chicago Center.

What kind of Chicago summer internships are there?

Chicago, being the 3rd largest urban center and having the 2nd largest job market in the country, hosts many industries and offers various types of employment. Some college students know exactly what kind of internship they want and which industry they want to work in; those students can get started right away on their Chicago Center application and look through examples of internships on our internships page. We have networked with hundreds of agencies, corporate organizations, arts groups and more to find internship sites that will give you great guidance, experience and let you contribute to the community  in significant and meaningful ways.

However, if you aren’t exactly sure what career you may want get started in, here’s how you can start your research on Chicago summer internships:

- If you are unclear on what you want to do with your major, ask an older student in your program what career they plan to pursue and if they have had any internships. As is often the problem with liberal arts majors, there isn’t a default career for each major. An older student or a Chicago Center alumnus can open your eyes to career opportunities that you hadn’t even considered.

- If you know what field you want to work in, you can still ask older students or Chicago Center alumni who you know have worked internships in that industry about their experience. You may find that the actual work experience is something far different that what you anticipated. Guidance from Chicago Center alumni and older students is invaluable– it can really help you create realistic expectations about getting an internship and what it will be like if you get it!

Chicago Summer Internship Preparation

Successful race car driver Bobby Unser said, “Success is where preparation and opportunity meet,” and of course that’s true when you are looking for a job or internship. Even if you aren’t yet applying with the Chicago Center, or if you haven’t decided what kind of internship you want, you can already start preparing for the application and  hiring process.

Getting started early will give you a better chance at getting an internship you want, and preparation will keep you from missing any of those great internship opportunities, no matter when they come along. Here are a few things you can start preparing without a Chicago summer internship lined up already.

- Prepare your resume. Meet with a career counselor at your college or university, and make sure your resume is up to snuff. The previous experiences, relevant classwork, and leadership roles and how you describe them on your resume can either really catch a potential employer’s eye! Working on your resume with a career counselor can help you present your strengths in the most professional way possible. (You will also be required to provide your resume as part of your Chicago Center application).
 
- Prepare your cover letter. Although you should write a unique cover letter for each position you apply for, preparing your basic format and general ideas can help you whip that individualized cover letter up more quickly whenever an opportunity comes along. Make sure you have someone proofread your standard cover letter, and if you can, run it by your career counselor was well.

- Prepare your writing samples. Depending on the field you are applying to, you may need to present writing samples as well as your resume and cover letter. If you can, prepare samples of different lengths and styles, to make sure you have something suited to the job you are applying for. Take your writing samples to a professor and have that professor proof them and offer their opinions on how to improve the writing. Again, you want to put your best foot forward, and preparing writing samples early can allow you to do that.

- Prepare your references. Even if a potential employer doesn’t ask for references when you apply, they might ask for them in your interview or after you’ve met. Having these prepared and being able to respond to this request quickly proves that you are prepared and that you already have people willing to vouch for your work. You should also have contacted your references and let them know that you are using them in your job applications. You never want a potential employer to call one of your references and have that person be surprised that you used them. (You will be required to provide references as part of your Chicago Center application).

- Prepare for your interview. Whether it’s having your parents or friends ask you questions, researching the industry, or planning answers for frequently asked interview questions, a little interview preparation goes a long way. The more confident you are in your interview, the better– and preparation will always boost your confidence.

Whether you are planning on a  summer internship with Chicago Center, or coming for a Spring or Fall semester, you can definitely use these preparation methods to find an internship and be ready for the application and hiring process. It may seem early, since it’s still February, but beginning now may help you seal the deal on your summer dream job!