You Belong Here

Ralph Ellison was the kind of nurturing environment with an open-door policy for students to talk to teachers. The test prep at CICS Ralph Ellison was also very helpful—especially with my ACT scores. I came in at a 19, and left with a 27. That preparation was a huge boost for getting into college.

School choice is important for my parents, so they chose for me to attend CICS Wrightwood because of its location, family-oriented culture, and intentional educational curriculum. My sibling and I were some of the first students at CICS Wrightwood when it first opened.

Most of all, it was the personal interactions and developments that set me up for college. The time that teachers took to help us outside of their academic schedules was so helpful. I think you can appreciate college more if you’ve gone through that high school journey and you come fully prepared. 

My parents chose CICS Wrightwood for me because it was a neighborhood school where they had the opportunity to choose  what was best for me-a school where its curriculum is tailored to the community and student’s needs. They also chose Wrightwood because there was a sense of community from teachers and staff, and more importantly, the academic support available to succeed inside and outside of the classroom.

Though I had my ups and downs, my experience at CICS Northtown was unforgettable. I remember not knowing anyone on my first day of school. I was terrified I might be isolated because I struggled with speaking English. However, my advisors Jennifer Bender and Dawn Navejas reached out and made me feel comfortable in my English as a Second Language program. Dawn Navejas was one of the best teachers I had during my freshman year because she cared about all of her students.

I chose CICS Northtown Academy because I struggled heavily with ADHD in middle school and wanted to attend a high school with an excellent program and support in place that would help me to flourish. CICS Northtown Academy turned out to be exactly that place! 

At CICS Northtown Academy, all students have an advisory period to catch up on homework and listen to school announcements. Jeremiah P. started reading the announcements his sophomore year—and people took notice. In this article, Jeremiah shares his experience building confidence, discusses the power of networking, and gives a few examples of his work!