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Sometimes a second chance is hard to come by but several Loyolans are working to help Chicagoans improve their lives by conducting a general education diploma preparation program. The courses are held weekly on Chicago's West Side at the Peace Corner, a school run by the Comboni mission congregation.
Now in its second year, the GED preparation program is run by volunteers: Assistant professor of sociology Emily Noelle Ignacio, seven Loyola undergraduates, one graduate student and Fr. Maurizio Bingaghi, founder of the Peace Corner. Since last year, five participants have received their GED and four still are attending daily classes to prepare for the April exam.
The Peace Corner is a drop-in center for young people in Garfield Park, on Chicago's Near West Side. It opened in January 2002 to provide neighborhood youth with a safe place to gather, do homework and participate in various recreation and learning activities. Approximately 60 to 70 youths visit the Peace Corner each day.
Ignacio learned about the Peace Corner's GED program from Fr. Maurizio in February 2003. Ignacio volunteered to be a GED teacher, and after sharing information about the Peace Corner and its GED program in her classes, a few students began to volunteer their time.
"Not only do [Loyola students] provide teachers for our GED course, but they are a great asset to the center as a whole," Fr. Bingaghi said. "They are role models, friends and mentors to many of our guys. Emily [Ignacio] and the students have been a blessing for us, proving to the Peace Corner kids that, yes, there are people who care."
GED classes meet Monday through Friday for an hour and a half in the evening. LU students teach in the area in which they are most knowledgeable. Sophomore Helen Phan, for example, is a pre-med biology major and teaches science on Monday nights.
The GED participants range in age from 18 to almost 40 years old.
The GED program offers a second chance for some who are tainted by checkered backgrounds and past hardships.
Tony, for example, experienced difficult times in the past, but now in his late 20s, he holds a steady job and recently moved into a new home with his family. He said a GED is another way of bettering himself.
Many of the Loyola students admire the GED participants for their dedication to improving their lives and high aspirations.
"[Many GED participants] live with violence, discrimination, poverty and drugs but are fighting against all of that to become educated and make things happen for themselves," sophomore Maureen Ryan said.
Although some of the participants are older than or the same age as their LU "teachers," the LU students do not worry about age when working with the participants. It is not always the standard teacher-student relationship.
"The first time I helped out, I did feel a little strange teaching a group of mostly young men my age," senior Joe Estala said. "But once you get into the material ... the ages don't matter - all that matters is learning."
"I had never been in an area like West Garfield Park," sophomore Alex Trubatisky said. "It was a learning experience because everything [Dr. Ignacio] had talked about in class was right in front of my eyes."
"It has really shattered a lot of misconceptions I have about people who are different than me," Ryan said.
The Peace Corner aims to break down the artificial barriers that separate young people in the neighborhood, and volunteers are a key component in expanding its programs.
"They really embody the charisma of St. Ignatius and Loyola by serving those considered outcasts by many in our society," Fr. Bingaghi said.
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