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Health & Fitness

Graduation Spells Success for Area Students

Thirty-one high school and college students in the College Bound Opportunities program celebrated their graduations recently. Going to college and earning a degree seemed out of reach a few years ago.

College Bound Opportunities Celebrates the Graduation of 31 Scholars

It's graduation season and students from high school to college are celebrating their achievement. Many high school graduates are preparing for their next step into college while those graduating from college are making the move into the working world. These milestones are affecting a group of local students in an even more profound way as 31 Scholars in College Bound Opportunities' (CBO) program commemorate their graduations. Going to college and earning a degree seemed out of reach just a few years ago for these kids.

CBO identifies high performing but economically disadvantaged high school students who would otherwise forgo college, and gives them the resources to attend and graduate with a college degree. Twenty-four seniors from Deerfield, Highland Park, and Lake Forest high schools recently came together with their family and CBO mentors to celebrate their graduation. This represents the largest CBO high school graduating class to enter college. In honor of their achievement, each Scholar received a brand new laptop for college. "We are so proud of our students," said Jim Hanig, CBO Board President. "We may have given them the resources to get into college, but they have earned the opportunity through their hard work and perseverance."

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Serving as examples for the incoming college class, seven CBO Scholars earned their college degrees and celebrated their achievement together on Sunday. With a college degree in hand, all seven graduates see a brighter future and credit College Bound Opportunities. "CBO opened doors for me that I don't believe would have been opened had I not joined the program," said Dylan Carrigan, a graduate from the University of Illinois. "I am very thankful for what CBO has done for me and the job that my mentor has done." The schools that the graduates attended are the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Michigan, the University of Wisconsin, Vanderbilt University, and Ohio Wesleyan University. CBO relies exclusively on donations to support local students in need with dreams of attending college. To donate to a student's future, call 847.943.9226 or go to http://cbo4success.org.

About College Bound Opportunities:

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College Bound Opportunities (CBO) is a not-for-profit organization centered in the ten communities within Deerfield and Highland Park High School District 113 and Lake Forest Community High School District 115. CBO identifies economically disadvantaged, high-achieving young people who, without support, would likely forgo post-secondary education and assists them in applying to and completing college. CBO goals are achieved through a program of one-on-one mentoring between volunteers and scholars. Additional aid provided by CBO includes tutoring, training services, laptop computers, and up to $4,000 per year in scholarships. Learn more at http://cbo4success.org

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