Is the magic in you?

By LaRon Rogers

Rich East High School

Photos by LaRon Rogers

For teens, life is hard on the streets of Chicago and back alleys of the suburbs. Many have to deal with gunfire, like the shooting death of Blair Holt back in 2007, or violent fights like the one at Fenger High School that led to the murder of Derrion Albert.

They deal with blanket criticisms, like a recent report in The New York Times that said the Chicago Public School students “at highest risk of violence, by statistics, are most likely to be black, male, without a stable living environment, in special education, skipping an average of 42 percent of school days at neighborhood and alternative schools, and having a record of in-school behavioral flare-ups that is about eight times higher than the average student.”

But while they reflect on the violence, news outlets neglect the bigger fight going on with our generation, one that isn’t fought with guns, knives and two-by-fours, but with books on sociology, the law and nursing in hopes for a better future.

Here are four teens whose weapon of choice is knowledge and how they plan on shaping our generation for the better.

Teressa Jones: Moving on up and out

Teressa Jones,18, grew up in the Chicago neighborhood of Englewood, a community below the poverty line and known for some of the most violent crime in Chicago.

She attended Richards High, an overcrowded school that she said sometimes distracted her from work. “The kids where no help,” Teressa said.

Teressa found herself surrounded by the street life she wanted out of so badly. Growing up, her mother was hooked on drugs, which led to the breakdown of her family. Her mother’s addiction forced Teressa to move in with her father. But when the move cost him a relationship with another woman, Teressa’s father took it out on her.

“Dad started to become aggressive towards me,“ she said. “He beat us, and then wiped us down with alcohol to remove the beat marks.”

For the next five years of her life, Teressa was kicked out of the house repeatedly, beaten and broken down by a man who she says never seemed to want her. The drama came to an end when Teressa’s uncle visited the home and spoke with her father. She doesn’t remember what was said between the two men, but she remembers what came next. Her father told her to pack her bags. She was moving into her uncle’s house in Park Forest.

Now living in a new environment full of respect and love, Teressa excels. She’s now top of her class at school and has big plans for the future. Once she graduates high school, Teressa plans on joining the Navy or the Air Force.

“What made me strong and able to withstand all this is because I knew there was light on the other side,” she said.

Jordan Loya: Just listen to the music

Born on the tough streets of Chicago Heights, Jordan found himself under constant gunfire. In one instance, a stray bullet almost hit his younger sister.

“The bullet had my mom’s boyfriend’s name on it,” Jordan, 17, said.

When simple tasks like going to the grocery store or walking down the street became a challenge, Jordan joined a gang for protection. Soon, fighting and drug dealing became part of his life.

“My mother tried to do the best she possibly could and I understood that,” he said. “But without a father, I felt I had to fend for myself.”

Hoping to give Jordan that much-needed authority figure in his life, Jordan’s mother sent him and his younger sister to live with their father in Ohio. But the move backfired, Jordan said. He felt trapped there, cut off from his family in Illinois.

Things turned for the worse when Jordan discovered that his father was a major drug dealer in the area.

“It was very upsetting because I wanted to try something different between us,” Jordan said. “[I was there] because I was a bad kid under my mother’s watch and she felt that if my dad would take over, things would turn for the better.”

But his mother’s instinct proved to be right. While living with his father, Jordan started writing his thoughts into a diary. Thinking he could turn them into music, Jordan went to his father, also a deejay on weekends, for help. His father supplied the beats.

“That’s when we started bonding,” he said. “No homo.”

Soon, Jordan moved back to Chicago Heights. Without his father’s influence, Jordan fell back into dealing. But then Jordan met Juwan Griffin and Kenny Woods, students at Rich East High School who produced music on the side. They took Jordan under their wing.

“Juwan was one of the best impacts on my life,” Jordan said.

Hanging out with Juwan and Kenny, Jordan stopped hustling and stayed out of trouble. His hard work soon was rewarded when Jordan, alongside Juwan, started Skyrunnerz Entertainment, a local record label. As CEO and founder, Jordan plans on promoting rap music through his record label and making a splash on the hip-hop scene. He also plans to attend Full Sail University in Tallahassee, Fla., majoring in music production.

“With my will and ambition, I will succeed,” he said.  

Ishmael Jones: A flight to success

For Ishmael Jones, Beacon Hill is a house that has held him captive, one he hopes he’ll be free of one day.

Growing up in the south suburb, Ishmael, 18, has seen plenty of violence. He said he always felt like he was caught in the middle of a two-way street between right and wrong. Ishmael recalls one incident a few years ago while playing basketball in East Gate, a town less than a mile away.

A couple of local teens who noticed he was “an outsider” approached him, Ishmael said. After some glances and a few choice words, things spiraled out of control and Ishmael ended up fighting off five people at once.

Walking home after the fight, Ishmael found his anger building. That’s when he made the wrong turn down that two-way street, he said.

“The result was gunfire and bloodshed,” Ishmael said, refusing to go into details. “It was a week I will never forget.”

The incident opened Ishmael’s eyes, making him realize how life could make or break you with one just step in the wrong direction. He decided to refocus on his school work.

“I went hard every day,” he said. “I knew that school was my only ticket out of here and I'm approaching the airport.”

Doing so, Ishmael will graduate early this year from Rich East. With plans to join the Navy, attend college and go into nursing, Ishmael said that nothing can stop him from becoming a success.

“I will not only exceed but overachieve,” Ishmael said. “This is a flight I refuse to miss.”

Jamaya Austin: Advocacy is her calling

For Jamaya Austin, 17, elementary and high school were both safe environments. However, her neighborhood of Auburn Gresham was anything but.

“I live in a very urban community, a.k.a. ‘The hood,’” Jamaya said. “There is a mass amount of gang activity and drugs throughout my community.”

Focusing on the main goals in her life, Jamaya turned away from her negative surroundings and never looked back. In 2008, Jamaya joined Metropolitan Area Group for Igniting Civilization (MAGIC), a youth leadership program.

“What motivated me to become a leader is when I became aware of all the injustices and neglect that the youth have to face on a day-to-day basis in this society,” Jamaya said. “Once my eyes opened to this issue, I refused to turn away from it,” Jamaya said.

Jamaya became involved with MAGIC after meeting the organization’s founder, Dr. Joseph Strickland, during an event. Strickland was so impressed with Jamaya’s passion that he hired her on the spot.

“I've been faithful to MAGIC and the Woodlawn community ever since,” she said.

One of Jamaya’s biggest challenges has been to gain support for ongoing youth employment. Twice this year, Jamaya has traveled with MAGIC to Washington, D.C., where she met with legislators and gained support for the group’s cause.

“I knew I had to do something about it and take a stand,” Jamaya said. “It went well, but we still have a long way to go.”

Jamaya’s next goals include completing high school and attending the University of California-Los Angeles, where she would like to major in business and marketing or radio broadcasting. But, she’d also like to take classes that will enhance her acting ambitions.

Jamaya credits her success to her family, who provide the support and encouragement she needs to keep fighting.

“My family is very supportive of what I do,” she said, “and they are proud that I’ve chosen to stand up for the things that my generation and all others after us need and deserve.”

Jason Thomas, coordinator, Pipeline to College Program at Prairie State College, Homewood, Ill., shares his strategies for teens who want to go to college and stay in college.

Q: How does having an administrator like yourself visiting high schools help teens progress toward college?

A: The biggest thing is relationship and exposure. When you have a relationship, you understand more about teens, from how they operate and what drives them and also their mentality. And then once you know how they are, you can expose them to [your] knowledge and then, even though they don't realize it, it turns into a network. You can’t just tell someone to go to college. I found that if you just tell somebody to go and they have no reason to go, they are just going because you said it. But when times get rough, they say, ‘I'm not with this no more. This is stupid.” They have to know why they’re there. They have to know the big picture that will help with them getting there and staying there. Getting there is cool -- we applaud that -- but it’s the staying there that is what we stand up for.

Have you ever met a student who couldn't be taken down the right path?

Over time, my approach has changed with students. I used to just try and pull them all along the way. Now I expose them to things everybody gets. I talk to groups large and small, everybody, but the people who show the extra [initiative], like those who come after and come up here, are the ones who get the extra [attention]. The people who I have met in the big groups, it’s just goes into one ear and out the other. That's fine because this might not be the right time to do that. There might be other things, because everyone has a unique situation. Some people show such promise, but never come back. So I have experienced that, where some people didn't take advantage of anything.”

How important is it to work hard in high school so you can make that transition into college?

High school determines how much money you get for college. If you go into high school and just throw it off -- just not going or ditching, but you want to go to college -- schools look at that. People get scholarships based on GPAs and ACT scores. So when you take high school seriously, you will get rewarded financially.

Do you think today’s teens are capable of stepping up and dealing with the extra workload of college?

Real change needs support. You need support in some way. Some people say I'm going to support myself, but there [must be] a circle of people who are supportive. It could be one person or it could be many. It could be somebody who is e-mailing you. You need support.

How do you feel about CPS schools that want to adopt “Half Cap” graduations, a pseudo celebration for students who complete their sophomore year?

“Half Cap” kind of lowers the bar. It’s saying this is the only graduation you will get. I understand they are trying to encourage [students] but I don't think you encourage them like that.

After graduating from college, how can young people better affect the economy?

The generic answer is to work. The next one is to work where. Science and math [majors] such as engineers and doctors are always in need. But what schools have found out is there are a lot of people who steer away from science and math. They go to school for other things, then come out with this degree and it’s like, “I'm educated. But what am I going to do with this?” No further thought was put into their decision. It affects the economy when people know why they are going to school, so they can develop the skill set there to compete for what they want to do. But when that conversation is never had, you [end up with] a lot of people with degrees who don't really know how to do anything. They just have a piece of paper.

--Interview by LaRon Rogers