My fondest memories are Tuesday studio dinners with Dr. Moham, late night Survey study sessions in the Ames reading room with Renee Cook and Susan Rapp (catered by McDonald’s), and of course the first week of freshman year when Sam Katz introduced me to one of my now best friends, Nicolette Varan!

There is less than 1 month until Homecoming 2017!

While counting down the days until we are all back on campus, let’s reminisce about the time we spent at IWU. My fondest memories from IWU are taking karate, being a part of the volleyball and water polo teams, and the friendships I’ve made and kept (shout out to my bestie, Matt Tannenbaum)! 

Would anyone like to share their favorite IWU memories? Comment below!

If you are still deciding on which events you want to attend during Homecoming, the International RSO Fair is highly recommended. It will be on Saturday (10/14) at the Hansen Student Center, Center Court from 11 am – 1 pm. Come learn more about our multicultural registered student organizations and enjoy activities and musical performances. A light lunch will be provided, so please register either online or by phone by 10/8!

You can visit the Homecoming Facebook page or the International RSO Fair Facebook event for more information. 

Laurie Diekhoff departed from IWU after 10 years at the Hart Career Center.

Laurie told her colleagues, “I spent 10 great years at the Career Center, enjoying my work, my colleagues, and the many relationships I have made on campus and in the community as a result of this position. Assisting students with their career development plans, helping employers fulfill their hiring needs, developing new programs, and contributing to the ongoing success of the Hart Career Center has been quite rewarding!”

We wish Laurie the best in her new adventure.

Corey McCord, now known as Jamii Tata, went to work as soon as he graduated from Illinois Wesleyan in 2010.

At first, he considered heading to New Orleans to mentor through the organization “Boys Hope Girls Hope.” He decided to help 2^nd and 3^rd graders in Detroit, instead. This was a difficult decision for Jamii. On one hand, he helped clean up New Orleans after the hurricane; this was extremely meaningful for him. He knew if he went back to New Orleans, he would stay there. His opportunities in Detroit, on the other hand, were too urgent to ignore.

Jamii joined a community organization, “Vanguard Community Development Corporation,” a company in existence since 1994 in the North End neighborhood of Detroit. His background led him naturally to this organization. At a young age, Jamii had a gift for computers. He participated in high school computer competitions while learning graphic design at a community center at 15 years old. As a young resident, he taught poetry to youth and promoted community/civic youth participation. This naturally transitioned into early adulthood, as Jamii found his niche as a community organizer.

As a community organizer, Jamii focuses on the following:

1. Technology: Jamii feels there is a technological divide between folks in the neighborhood. He feels seniors and youth alike lack computer literacy. With that in mind, he has trained and given out computers and internet access to those in need.
2. Safety: Clearing lots of debris that have turned in dumping grounds and boarding up houses are a number one priority for the neighborhood. Jamii is grateful that the police have begun to build positive relationships with the neighborhood, which developed into mentoring and leadership for training residents. Residents of all ages act as block club captains, adding direct value to the community.
3. Education: Jamii is determined to provide early childhood education resources and information to parents, advocate for the continuous operation and non-closure of public schools and find or create alternatives to the school systems where there are gaps to provide all of Detroit’s students a quality education.
4. Jobs: Jamii supported the creation of a pipeline and built a job board to help youth, returning citizens and under or unemployed people with resume-building and soft skills, and referrals for basic needs to focus on finding a job. He focused his time to mentor youth in their mid-20’s to early 40’s, specifically expanding a youth employment program helping 16-24-year olds with social and cognitive skills.
5. Volunteerism: To get people involved in community gardening, Jamii became the coordinator manager.
6. Food: Partnering with Angel Food Ministries, Jamii inherited a food-buying club called “U Save,” giving community members access to food that they couldn’t easily access otherwise. In their neighborhood, there are no functioning grocery stores. Jamii knowingly had to get creative on how to provide access to produce, meats, dry goods and herbs. He guided residents towards discounts on food, providing an ordering sheet for bulk-purchase meats. With the help of a client choice food pantry, the Storehouse of Hope Collaborative and the collection of churches offering food pantry to families, along with the support of a core group of 6 AmeriCorps program members, Jamii could train everyone to address the needs of the community.

As the organization grew, leadership began to lose its focus. Due to a mission shift, Jamii felt like he was no longer serving the youth, returning citizens, elders or residents of the community. To forward his mission, Jamii gained skills in the community gardener training program called “Urban Roots”, in which he learned how to be a better organizer, grower and employ creative usages for vacant lots in the City of Detroit.  He subsequently joined “Keep Growing Detroit” as an agricultural lead organizer, youth coordinator and communications manager. There he helped see the growth of more than 500 new gardens; taught over 100 young people across the city to grow and sell produce. Although he did not have much prior work in agriculture, meeting the community in this environment was a blessing. He could support 1400 gardens in the “Garden Resource Program” connecting them with resources such as seeds, plants, woodchips, compost and access to garden education classes.

Three years ago, Jamii founded the non-profit, Oakland Avenue Artists Coalition. They began with a neighborhood celebration: the North End Urban Expressions Art Festival: The Healing. The festival provided opportunities for youth and adults to express themselves through performance poetry, emceeing, dj’ing and visual art of which several murals designed to be a part of a community stage created for the event. The festival was a catalyst leading to a series of continuing community activities including a summer youth programming in mural design, carpentry and a partnership with KAN’s poetry program. In 2014, the Artists Coalition collaborated with a design and architect duo to receive an ArtPlace America grant, in which they were able to renovate an old garage into a clean shell to hold events and concerts. An abandoned barbershop was also renovated and transformed into a multi-purpose space to hold art gallery showings and community meetings. The ArtPlace America grant helped forward the vision of the Artists Coalition to create an art corridor on Oakland Avenue in the North End neighborhood. In 2015, the Coalition gained two $40k grants to develop three art pavilions honoring the history of three Detroit neighborhoods, one on Oakland Avenue. Jamii has advanced the vision of the art corridor and brought someone on to survey, analyze, and design a community planning book. In total 80 members where involved, 30 of which are still actively participating.

Jamii shared with us where he balances his focus in 2017:

1. 50% Know Allegiance Nation (KAN): His goal is to raise $10,000 in produce sales. There are 3 sites – 1 farming site, community garden, butterfly/aroma/peace He intends to go to the market almost every day, create new wholesale accounts with food businesses, and is sincerely motivated to support the movement towards producing great food and healing the earth.
2. Create Northeast Detroit: Jamii manages a mini grant program with folks participating in art projects and community beautification events. Jamii coordinates 3 large scale art installations in 3 parks in an area where there are over 50 parks, many of which are underutilized. He draws attention to assets of an area more known as being industrial. This ends at the end of May
3. 10% focus just for Jamii: He burns out because he never stops working. He would like to focus more time for reading. Currently, through Know Allegiance Nation he is creating a bookstore: he wants to promote the growth and development of youth focused events around sharing and reading more to youth; he loves to do it. He wants to see more outlets for Michigan authors of color and emerging youth writers.
4. Jamii is focusing on reshaping Artist Coalition’s mission on developing an art focused agenda whereby which artists gain knowledge to be at the table of development discussions; learn skills and have access to industrial painting and carpentry apprenticeships and learn about alternative ownership models such as cooperatives and land trusts. taking ownership of properties that are beautiful but need to be renovated for community use There is $1M of construction necessary. Specifically, abandoned buildings need a lot of work, but can add great value to the community.

Jamii has been there, done that. He started a radio station last year, training youth to perform shows and work with an online radio platform. He works on this monthly.

Currently, Jamii’s focus is his tea house, grab sandwich/salad, bookstore. His ultimate vision for this shop: you run into your neighbor, who tells you “Our neighbor down the street wrote a book. Check it out at Jamii’s bookshop.” To his point: Why can’t he support his own my neighborhood in his local shop? Bookstores played a major part in Jamii’s love for community outreach.

Overall, Jamii Tata likes to be seen and a good role model. He told me he recently met a young writer who wanted to publish a book. Jamii immediately adopted the role as a facilitator and leader in his life, and developed an entrepreneurship program.

Along with his tea house, Jamii is focusing on his organization, Create Northeast Detroit, “Create NED.” Although this will be ending soon in April, he will then be able to focus more time on youth development and establishing his tea shop. In fact, his GoFundMe vision is to raise $15k.

Will you help support him via GoFundMe?

UPDATE from Jamii 4/17/17:

“We’re putting out the 2nd community newspaper of the Create NED era as follow up to let the community know what was done with $500k ArtPlace grant. Still working on coordinating a couple of the art projects to be complete but things are going well. Got word that the artists coalition received a $100k grant from Kresge. They are publicly announcing it tomorrow. I am as excited about that as I am that my young people just published their first collection of poems: A Garden of 5 Elements with the help and support of Adobe!”

April 5, 2017 is our day of giving at Illinois Wesleyan and this year’s theme is Tune In for All In! Not only is today a day for giving, it’s a day to celebrate IWU and all of the things that make it special.

Visit https://www.iwu.edu/all-in/ to learn more and donate.

Donate today! Go Titans!

On Monday, February 20th, students, faculty, and staff across campus are celebrating donors and the impact they have on campus. “Thank A Giver Day” marks the symbolic point during the year — about 70% of the way though, when tuition dollars run out and the University relies on the generosity of donors, the endowment, and external grants for the remainder of the year.

Donor support allows IWU students to continue to have experiences that make being a Titan unique and transformative. Share how your IWU experience was impacted by donors using #IWUThanks

To be among those celebrated today, make a gift at www.iwu.edu/give. 

If you have already made a gift this year, thank you!

Remember to make your gift to Illinois Wesleyan by December 31 to be eligible for 2016 tax benefits. Gifts can be made online, by calling 1-800-689-9743 before December 23, and by check. If sending a check, it must be postmarked by December 31.

Thank you for your support!

Phone interview with Aaron Massey and Nicolette Varan, taken October 20, 2016

Aaron Massey began his college career unlike most. He knew exactly what he wanted to accomplish: open a school in St. Louis, MO. Aaron’s strong purpose began because his parents valued education. Growing up in East St. Louis among much poverty, however, he found himself falling out of the system early in his education career. Aaron’s father passed away while he was a sophomore in high school, and at that time, his mother was in and out of the hospital with cancer. Surviving with these tragedies during his formative years was difficult enough to deal with, until he met his high school mentor Carnetta Chalmers from Belleville West High School. Carnetta gave Aaron and his peers the feeling of responsibility they would feel in college. Aaron’s resilient determination pursued during his high school years and has proven true as we find him opening his first school in St. Louis, next year in 2017.

Aaron surrounded himself with people who he knew would help him succeed. To start, he formed strong relationships with his two sisters, who, as he mentioned, are “easily the smartest people he knows and are most determined.” His twin sister, Alia Harris, is a nurse manager who runs the floor at Barnes Jewish Hospital in East St. Louis. His older sister, Ashley Henderson, is a marketing manager for Spectrum Brands. Aaron remembers who he cheered him on the day he was accepted into the Urban Education Policy Program at Brown University where he was selected to be an Executive Scholar (A designation for only 10 graduate students).

As Aaron’s sisters valued education, he knew this is what would make him “free” to pursue his dream of learning and higher education. He enrolled in a nearby high school to pursue better opportunities. He was one of two African American students in the honors system. Aaron mentioned he “didn’t have to feel tough every day” at school, as education was more important than impressing his social circle. In fact, he recently spoke in a panel of young mentors, called “Interrupting Racism” at East Central College, where Aaron mentioned he was “so happy to be free.” To Aaron, “high school was one of the best times of my life.” He was on the basketball team, track team captain (And was track captain at IWU), he was Vice President of the French Club, the Prom King, dance choreographer, and he was even the lead in the play “A Raisin in the Sun.”

As a first year teacher, Aaron surrounded himself around “some of the funniest, most supportive people on the planet: Sean McGrath (Attorney), Evan Nogay (Attorney), and Marco Ramirez (Marketing Executive). They inspired him to work harder, think smarter, and be bold about what he believes in.

Aaron started his career at Illinois Wesleyan University with strong determination. He began by studying the idea “How do you start community in the community.” Debra Halperin from the Resource Center at Wesleyan provided seminars and classes which steered Aaron towards his focus on urban and community development projects, which included ten students from Illinois Wesleyan, each who headed up different projects. Aaron’s project, The West Side Development Task Force, was developed to focus on people who have a lot of resources but didn’t have the time to use their resources. Aaron focused on filling the role of a community organizer, “on a smaller scale”, connecting everyone on all levels. Aaron mentioned that he wanted to “create a sense of urgency” within the community, since he was developing this focus within the school semester. He was and his team were able to “successfully create a community garden on the West side of Bloomington that is still alive and well.”

“I waited 10 years until coming back home to make sure I was ready.” After undergrad, Aaron attended Brown University to further his passion of educational development. In the meantime, he expanded his network and strengthened his background in teaching.

First, he went to Baton Rouge, LA for Teach for America where he taught secondary mathematics. After graduate school, he moved to Chicago to work with Nikki Grier as a Dean of Instruction. The school that he first taught at in Baton Rouge had closed sue to low performance. He was called down to Baton Rouge as the Founding Academy Director to open the school back up with new leadership. Aaron was able to recruit 172 kids to his school. At the time, the Principal of this school moved to Memphis, and Aaron was asked to become Dean of Students. He was able to prove himself by keeping expectations and getting results quickly. As he had worked with high impact from day one, he was able to provide his deliverables and became very confident in his role. Aaron, along with his strong background, network and drive, allowed him to open EAGLE College Prep.

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At E.A.G.L.E College Prep (Expecting Academic Greatness with a Loving Emphasis), Aaron felt moved to set a good cultural expectation within three months by switching the concept most school had: replacing a stern atmosphere with tough love and productivity. Aaron’s unique approach to education is what most institutions should strive towards. Aaron’s vision couldn’t happen without the help of his strong network and supporters. Seeking help, Aaron was able to gain support from individual donors, non-profits, and corporations around the country.

Currently, Aaron keeps himself organized by tackling objectives one month at a time:
November 2016: Aaron is out and about, introducing himself to people and receiving applications for the school
December 2016: Aaron is recruiting faculty (four more to hire)
January 2017: Aaron is checking enrollment numbers, looking at the curriculum, working on building and office improvements, and organizing faculty location
February/March 2017: Aaron is refining everything, enrolling the remainder of students (they hope to be fully staffed and enrolled by then)
April/May 2017: Everything should be up and operating, and Aaron is hoping he will get the support of the community as they see everything is up and running.

Illinois Wesleyan Alumni, please reach out and help Aaron Massey pursue his dreams!

Aaron Massey
Eagle College Prep Gravois Park
3630 Ohio Ave
St. Louis, MO 63118