Student Breaks College Barrier with Mentor’s Help

senior Ivonne Soto always thought that she was going to follow in her sister’s footsteps and attend a college she could commute to. That is until she found out about College Bound Opportunities (CBO), a non-for-profit organization that has been helping economically disadvantaged District 113 students think outside the box when it comes to life after high school.  

“My parents didn’t go to college. When my sister went through the whole process, she was by herself,” Soto said. “Without CBO, I was going to do the same.”

But once accepted into the program the teenager decided to expand her horizons and shoot for Marquette University in Milwaukee. “Without CBO, I would have never have thought to apply there, Wisconsin is just too far.”

That type of decision is what College Bound Opportunities encourages. After accepting candidates from communities such as Deerfield, Highland Park and Bannockburn, the scholarship program matches the students with mentors to help them navigate through the college application process.

Soto was paired with Highland Park parents Sheri and Robert Tisdahl who have two children that have already graduated college.  

“I really hadn’t done much community service work and this seemed like something I would be interested in,” Sheri Tisdahl said about her decision to volunteer. 

After mentioning it to her husband, he decided he wanted in too. “So Ivonne got both of us, whether she wanted to or not,” Sheri Tisdahl added with a grin.

Soto was accepted into the program during her junior year and was immediately enrolled into an ACT prep course. She has also met with the Tisdahls about twice a month over the past year.

“We’ve tried to be there without interfering in anyway because that’s not our role,” Robert Tisdahl said. “We’re absolutely not her parents.”

But Soto’s parents are thankful for the Tisdahls expertise. “My mom has said, ‘I’m very grateful for Sheri,’ ” the teen noted. “They really like [the fact that ] we got you guys.”

But just because Soto has gotten the thumbs up from several universities doesn’t mean she’s leaving the Tisdahls behind. CBO is a six-year program with an important next step, “To get them through the four years [of college] with as little debt as possible,” Robert Tisdahl explained.

“They push very hard to get grants, to get grants from the schools," he added. "So, they’re not coming out and saying, ‘Oh my god, I owe how much?’ ” 

That is why Soto is such a big supporter of the organization, saying, “I think it’s a great program and everybody that needs it should be part of it.”

The high school teen would like to return the favor and become a mentor in the future. “I think CBO does do a lot for you, for the specific individual, and I would like to give back,”  Soto said.