This spring, Short was part of the program\u2019s first cohort of graduates, earning her bachelor\u2019s degree in journalism from Southern Illinois University Carbondale<\/a> with a 3.7 GPA. She will pursue a master\u2019s degree in political science this fall. <\/p>\n Short is one of about 400 Hope Scholars and Parent Scholars across Illinois who will complete college degrees or workforce credential programs by the end of the summer, all graduating completely debt-free. She noted the program gave her an opportunity she might not have received if the scholarship was awarded solely on academic performance.<\/p>\n \u201cI know there\u2019s a lot of talk about making scholarships only merit-based, but if it was merit-based, I wouldn\u2019t have been able to receive this scholarship,\u201d Short said. \u201cSometimes students just need the space to thrive, and I think Hope Chicago does exactly that.\u201d<\/p>\n Hope Chicago\u2019s first cohort of about 400 scholars and parents is completing college degrees and workforce credentials across Illinois.<\/p>\n Two-generation scholarship:<\/strong> Aaron Kuecker, chief executive officer of Hope Chicago, said the organization\u2019s two-generation model is designed to strengthen families\u2019 financial position by supporting both students and parents within the same household.<\/p>\n \u201cWe see this as an opportunity to more quickly catalyze economic mobility in our neighborhoods,\u201d Kuecker said. \u201cOur families, as they come out with the extra earning power and stability that a college or postsecondary credential can provide, have durability in the face of the sort of storms of life.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s this in-it-together\u2013ness of the family that yields higher education success, even in demographics, neighborhoods and socioeconomic strata that have not always found the higher ed systems working well on their behalf,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Hope Chicago\u2019s two-generation model relies on partnerships with nearly 30 Illinois colleges and universities<\/a>, including every public university in the state and eight private institutions. Partner institutions include Chicago State University<\/a>, the City Colleges of Chicago<\/a> system and Loyola University Chicago<\/a>.<\/p>\n Students receive financial assistance, access to dedicated campus staff, emergency funding, stipends and workforce-exposure opportunities designed to help them persist from high school through graduation and into careers.<\/p>\n With students\u2019 financial barriers removed, their enrollment in college and career pathway programs across Hope Chicago\u2019s five partner high schools has risen from 51\u00a0percent before the program launched to 83\u00a0percent in the 2025\u201326 school year.<\/p>\n Kuecker said lifting financial barriers not only expanded access to college, but also changed how families imagined their futures.<\/p>\n \u201cDebt-free access was certainly not just the door opener but also the imagination cultivator,\u201d Kuecker said. \u201cLifting that economic constraint, and then really coming with a posture that says, \u2018We believe in the capacity of every single student,\u2019 began to help our families believe their way forward into that future.\u201d<\/p>\n Short said she noticed a shift in college-going culture among her classmates and younger students at her high school after the program launched.<\/p>\n \u201cCollege is now like an expectation,\u201d Short said. \u201cBefore, I would say it was like, \u2018Yeah, if you want to go, but at least make sure you do something.\u2019 But right now it\u2019s like, \u2018OK, you\u2019re going to college, you\u2019re going to sit in a seminar and ask all the questions you need to know.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Hope Chicago provides financial assistance, dedicated campus staff and other support services to help students persist from high school through college and into careers.<\/p>\n Why this matters: <\/strong>Hope Chicago is supported by a network of corporate, foundation and individual donors, including several Chicago-based companies and philanthropic organizations<\/a>. Kuecker said it costs approximately $20\u00a0million to fully support a cohort of Hope Scholars and Parent Scholars through a four-year degree. The projected social and economic return for the program\u2019s first cohort alone is $143\u00a0million, according to a 2023 study<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe college degree doesn\u2019t address the racial wealth gap in America in part because debt erodes the ability of people to save,\u201d Kuecker said. The two-generation model \u201cgives families the ability to begin to plan and prepare for generational economic mobility.\u201d<\/p>\n Kuecker said Hope Chicago\u2019s model could also contribute to Illinois\u2019s long-term workforce development by encouraging graduates to remain in the state and helping employers meet talent needs.<\/p>\n \u201cDebt-free employees are more durable employees,\u201d Kuecker said. \u201cThey have more company loyalty, they\u2019re less apt to be looking for a job, and we know that debt-free grads are more apt to buy a home, which leads to community stability.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you were to think about hundreds of those families in the same neighborhood\u2014what that means for employers in our city, for state revenue, for social service spending\u2014that\u2019s where higher education, when it\u2019s free of debt, can really be an economic driver and disprove some of the narratives about whether or not higher ed is worth it,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n![\"Four](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260516_UIUCCommencement_Photo_EXPORTs-3_4PRESS.jpg\")
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