“I was honored to be chosen for the inaugural program and I hope more students from Sherrard High School will be able to take advantage of this program in the future!”
That’s what Sherrard junior Autumn Kongkousonh, has to say after she was chosen out of 300 applicants for a rare opportunity to travel to Chicago to learn the intricacies of how to get into a prestigious university under a program titled, The Small Town and Rural Students (STARS) College Network Fly-in at UChicago, according to a news release.
Only 31 attendees from 13 states were accepted.
English teacher, Candace Gagliardo recommended she apply: “I can’t think of another student who will get more out of this experience or represent Sherrard as well as Autumn.”
The University of Chicago’s Marjorie Betley, executive director of the STARS College Network, said Autumn was chosen based on her “heartfelt and authentic” essay, “Which stood out in a large pool of more than 300 students who applied.”
She explained the program, “Autumn will have the chance to learn all about the ins and outs of the college application process, and how to apply for financial aid and scholarships. This is information we want every student to have as early as possible in their high school careers, so not only will Autumn have a great time exploring UChicago and the city of Chicago, but she’ll also be acting as an ambassador in bringing everything she learns back to the Sherrard community.”
She said the program was fully funded by a generous donation from Trott Family Philanthropies. Betley is also Trott Director of the Emerging Rural Leaders Program, and Senior Associate Director of Admissions at The University of Chicago.
Konkousonh left on May 14 and returned on the 16th, and has already been interviewed by a reporter with international news source, Scripps News, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia
Autumn said, “Overall it was an amazing experience. I met 30 new friends who were all from diverse backgrounds but shared the same goal: higher education. Everyone was super kind and we all got along really well. It was so interesting to hear everyone’s different life experiences and their rural/small town experience.”
She explained what the time entailed after arriving by plane, “We got a very nice shuttle bus that picked us up at O’Hare and dropped us off at our hotel, The Study. We met the other students who had arrived earlier that day and then we went to dinner with some current students of UChicago at Woodlawn Dining Hall. After that we had a good old UChicago scavenger hunt, they’re known for those!”
She said the next day they had breakfast at Ida Noyes Hall and listened to admissions counselors from UChicago and Brown University talk about what sets their colleges apart, followed by a tour of the campus at UChicago.”
Then, the 31 attendees had a mock class with a professor of neurobiology, “We learned about Nuero-ethics. We discussed how physical brain matter can alter someone’s perceptions, and whether or not criminals with tumors or brain cancer that is undetected should be punished or not for crimes that they may not have committed if their brain was healthy. That was a super interesting mock class and it really inspired me to consider applying to UChicago because of how discussion based the class was.”
“After that, we had a student panel talk about their experience at UChicago and we had lunch with those students. It was cool to see what type of people get into a college so prestigious.”
She said later that day they did a case study acting as admissions counselors deciding who to accept and decline, “It was really interesting to collaborate with other students as well as the admissions counselors from Brown and UChicago to see what type of student is actually accepted into prestigious colleges. It helped me feel more confident in my ability to apply and get in. We also spoke to the Dean of Admissions at UChicago. He went to Yale and was super inspiring.”
They then met with a counselor to to learn about financial aid options.
“It’s really important to learn how to afford college and I was happy to be taught by a school that has tuition reaching $90,000.”
The group also had fun, “We went on an Architectural Boat Tour in downtown Chicago on the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. It was so cool to learn about the history of Chicago and its iconic skyscrapers. After that, we had to have deep dish pizza since we were in Chicago so we went to Giordanos!
…We then had our closing remarks with the admissions counselors and we all went back down to our meeting place and us students talked for hours! In the morning we had breakfast at The Study and left for home.”
“To be honest, what made this trip super sweet was that it was absolutely free! From the minute I stepped foot onto my plane departing for Chicago, I didn’t have to pay a dime. It was amazing! Although it was a quick trip, I gained so much information about the college search process, the admissions process, and the UChicago experience. The University of Chicago and The STARS College Network are offering such a unique experience to rural students. It’s amazing that these prestigious colleges are taking notice of the incredible small town kids in America.”
Konkousonh’s mom, Patricia Konkousonh said, “As a mother navigating the uncharted waters of college admissions and scholarship opportunities for the first time, I’m just so thankful for the STARS program, University of Chicago and Brown University for this exciting experience… I’m appreciative that Mrs. Gagliardo encouraged Autumn to apply for this unique program.”
Sherrard High School’s Academic/Counseling Office has Julie Drish to help parents and students navigate the financial piece of the college puzzle. She can be reached at , and by phone at 309-593-2175, extension 1011.
In the coming days you can read Autumn’s essay here.
