LatinaLista — May is the month for graduations. Yet, not all students just graduate from school. Some students in Chicago also graduate from student housing, if they were part of the special La Casa student housing initiative.
Founded two years ago by the Resurrection Project, La Casa student housing provides low-income students a full service support net to ensure they not only graduate from college but thrive during their time in school.
Though open to all students, it’s primarily Latino students who live at La Casa which is located in the predominantly Mexican American area of Chicago known as Pilsen.
While the multi-story building mimics traditional college dorms — roommates, shared bathrooms, fitness center, wi-fi, cable, laundry, computer room, etc — this student housing has one distinct difference — it’s home to students from different universities and colleges.
The purpose of La Casa is to give students, who are first-generation college students, the opportunity to have a quiet place to study and easy access to resources that help them with everything from financial aid and basic job preparedness workshops to actual internship positions and networking opportunities to find their first job — no matter which college they attend.
Recently, the second class of La Casa graduated from their respective universities. To celebrate the milestone, La Casa administrators held their own graduation ceremony. In the featured video, students, parents and La Casa administrators talk about this unique program and its impact on the academic and employment success of its students.
