Read now: Michael’s message for Heart of the City Supporters
Dear Heart of the City Supporter,
My name is Michael, and I recently graduated from Waukegan High School. I joined Heart of the City a couple years ago because I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to improve my soccer skills.
Before Heart of the City, I didn’t give a lot of thought to my plans after high school. I wanted to go straight to the workforce, or maybe the police academy, but I didn’t really want to go to school. I was a student whose GPA wasn’t really up there…I thought grades were not that important.
But when I got to Heart of the City and met the HOTC staff, they really helped me and taught me how important education is. The coaches here motivated me and told me I had the talent to play soccer in college. They pushed me to do better academically, so that gave me a bigger boost to consider college and just to play soccer at the same time and be a student-athlete.
With their support, my GPA improved. I was able to tour college campuses, speak to recruiters and learn about financial aid options. Ultimately, all of this led to me being recruited to play soccer on scholarship at Lincoln College.
Heart of the City has opportunities for us to grow, not just as soccer players, but as students and as part of the community. For kids like me, who don’t always have a lot of support or know where to start, this is a great program, and I’m personally really thankful.
Sincerely,
Michael
P.S. There are other students like me who need the support and knowledge to plan for their future. Your support is really helpful and appreciated. Thank you!
Read more about Heart of the City’s impact this year during the Covid-19 pandemic.