It’s graduation season, and one group of non-traditional students plan to use their talents and degrees to help the city of Chicago.
This week, Gwendolyn Baxter, Jerome Anderson II and his Jerome Anderson, Sr., and Torrence Price will graduate from Northeastern Illinois University’s Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies.
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WATCH HERE“I don’t want to get emotional, but this is an opportunity that I never had,” Baxter said.
All the students are pursuing careers in community violence intervention. Chicago-based Acclivus Inc., a health organization focused on violence prevention, is assisting them in every way.
LeVon Stone Sr, the CEO of the organization, was left paralyzed from the waist down by a shooting some 30 years ago. Graduating from Northeastern, he has been instrumental in helping to push and support the group, with Acclivus even covering some of their tuition payments.
“You don’t want just your street cred – you want to have that diploma,” said Stone. “School changed my life. So if it could change my life, I know it can help colleagues.”
The plan for these activist scholars – continue using their education and lived experiences to curb violence in Chicago, helping people regardless of their past misdeeds, disappointments, or challenges.
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“I have seen them in their transformations,” said Dr. Lance Williams with Northeastern Illinois University. “They come from places that were meant to crush their spirit. Then they come here, and they come alive, then apply what they have learned in the community.”
Northeastern Illinois University’s 2025 commencement takes place Friday at Credit Union 1 Arena.
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