Lake County Program
Homero Cantu, GYO Graduate 2021
Connie Canales Matute, Current Candidate
GYO Welcomes Lake County!
Lake County is the newest addition to the GYO Illinois organization, which supports established cohorts in Chicago, EIU, Peoria, and SIU. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Representative Rita Mayfield we were able to launch the Lake County program in Fall 2020.
Although GYO Lake County began during the pandemic, they were nonetheless able to secure 8 impressive candidates. It’s especially notable that they were able to immediately recruit 6 males into the program while there is a great shortage of men of color in teaching roles throughout the country. The program has already graduated 4 candidates, all of whom are males.
Being Involved and Involving the Community
At GYO Lake County, we’re targeting candidates who live in the surrounding communities to build a sense of camaraderie among teachers, parents, and students. In particular, we invite non-certified education professionals to advance into active classroom roles.
We continue to build lasting relationships with area organizations, starting at the grassroots level, in order to continue supporting graduates once they leave school, and they either continue learning or begin working.
Reuben Ramirez, Current Candidate
““Of the people for the people, for underserved and poor people, I implore people to explore our people, different cultures affording the people different viewpoints, different organizations where the youth anoint...themselves as a new point of direction, where they no longer do things out of obsession, beyond DCSF protection I see critical thinking skills that lead to introspection, this is an intro to the lesson, a new mindset I’m manifesting with this GYO blessing.””
Kyle King, Current Candidate