GYO-IL Celebrate Another Year of Triumph for Chicago/Lake County Graduates

May 26

Group photo of 2026 of graduates, their families, and staff at the GYO-IL Graduation Ceremony held at the Chicago Teachers Union Building. — *Group photo of 2026 graduates, their families, staff, board members, and supporters at the GYO-IL Graduation Ceremony held at the Chicago Teachers Union Building.*

On May 23, 2026, Grow Your Own Chicago/Lake County hosted its annual celebration at the Chicago Teachers Union Main Hall for the fall of 2025 and spring 2026 graduates of the Chicago/Lake County cohort, its biggest regional consortia. Candidates and their families, staff, alumni and institutional partners gathered for a festive luncheon and ceremony that recognized the remarkable achievements of these newly minted educators.

Attendees enjoyed Mexican fare by Atolitos Catering and music by DJ Duchess. Each graduate received a gift bag and had the opportunity to take their professional head shots by photographer Tony Lullo. The luncheon also offered them a space to reunite with friends from their cohort, catch up with their GYO mentors, and meet the staff members who helped them on their path to becoming teachers.

Richard Nettles, the Chicago/Lake County Program Director, kicked off the festivities with a warm welcome before Mayra Bravo-Gonzalez, GYO-IL’s Board Chair, offered opening remarks to the audience. She was followed by Liza Pappas, the organization’s Executive Director, who introduced the representatives of the consortia’s partner institutions: Dr. Shawn Jackson, President of Harry S. Truman College; Dr. Jermaine Morales, Assistant Dean of Chicago State University; and Dr. Sunni Ali, Professor of Northeastern Illinois University.

*A collection of graduation balloons at the GYO-IL Chicago/Lake County Graduation Celebration.*

Partnership Director D.A. Castro presented a brief overview of the community-based organizations and the Teacher Education Community Spaces initiative that supported GYO-IL’s mission throughout the year. He also highlighted Kaprisha Martin, a GYO-Chicago candidate, who attended every supplemental training session developed by our community-based partners. These sessions provided a space where candidates connected their real-world experiences and community issues to their role in the classroom.

An African-American GYO-IL staff member and candidate hug on the graduation stage. — *Richard Nettles, GYO Chicago/Lake County Program Director and the President of Truman College, Dr. Shawn Jackson.*

As has become tradition, GYO-IL took a moment to recognize alumni who had devoted five years of teaching service. A total of 28 former candidates were honored.

The ceremony continued with a graduate slide show featuring each member of this year’s graduating class along with their major, institution, and an inspiring quote from a writer, leader or educator they admire. Tammy Bolden, GYO-Chicago’s Success Coach and Candidate Coordinator, took the stage to highlight candidates who had achieved perfect attendance and a 4.0 GPA before closing out the celebration with a raffle.

As Maya Angelou once said, “When you learn, teach. When you get, give.” It’s a statement that speaks to education as a collective practice, one that is meant to uplift each student and encourage us to pay it forward. This year’s cohort, like those that came before them, have taken that directive to heart. We are so proud of their success and wish them the best as they embark on their teaching career. Congratulations!