Chicago teacher leads students to 318 college acceptances

CHICAGO - As Teacher Appreciation Week highlights the impact of educators nationwide, one Chicago teacher is drawing attention for what happens after her students leave the classroom.

Inside a classroom in West Town, banners line the walls, representing college acceptances and future opportunities. For Brittany Parks of Rauner College Prep those banners are more than decorations — they are proof of what can happen when students are given the tools to navigate the college process.

Parks teaches a course called "College Seminar," designed to guide students through every step of applying to college, from writing essays to understanding financial aid and ultimately enrolling.

"It’s totally designed not only for writing their essays, but building lists, learning about financial aid and taking them all the way through to matriculation," Parks said.

From Chicago classrooms to colleges

The backstory:

A key focus of the class is addressing one of the biggest barriers many families face: how to afford college. Parks said conversations about cost are unavoidable, but she still sees higher education as a reliable path forward.

"There is a lot of conversation around whether college is worth the cost. It is definitely expensive for a lot of families," she said. "I still believe that college is the most predictable path to success."

Beyond advising, Parks has built a structured system to help students and their families understand the full financial picture. Lessons include breaking down cost of attendance, identifying scholarships and grants, and evaluating student loans.

"We teach them how to calculate their own financial aid, understand what free money they got in grants and scholarships, what loans are, and whether or not they should be applied," Parks said. "That way they can talk to their families about whether it’s the right fit."

The results have been striking. This year, all 52 students in Parks’ class were admitted to college. Collectively, they earned 318 acceptances and more than $1.4 million in scholarships.

For Parks, those numbers go far beyond statistics.

"I was born and raised here in Chicago. This is my home," she said. "It represents opportunity. It represents changes that ripple throughout generations."

Making a difference

What they're saying:

For students like Maurice Williams, that opportunity once felt uncertain.

"Before I started working with Ms. Parks, I was nervous about college," Williams said. "I didn’t see it fit for me."

That perspective changed during his junior year after watching older students celebrate their college acceptances.

"I saw them getting accepted to so many colleges, and I thought, it might be a long process, but I can handle it," he said.

Williams, the youngest of eight children, will be the first in his family to attend college. He plans to enroll at Millikin University in the fall.

His mother, Melinda Williams, said having guidance made all the difference.

"I am really grateful and thankful for Ms. Parks," she said. "She kept telling Maurice, ‘You can do this.’ He thought he couldn’t, but I knew he could."

Williams now plans to major in secondary education, inspired by the teacher who helped shape his path.

"I want to become a teacher myself," he said. "She showed me I could be a safe place for students, too."

Parks said stories like Williams’ are why her work matters.

"What you don’t know, you don’t know," she said. "Part of my job is to make sure students and families have a clear understanding of what they’re getting into."

"Every single teacher wants the best for our students," Parks said. "We believe in our capacity to help change the world through every individual student. We are in their corner."

What's next:

Parks said she hopes to expand her approach so more students and families can navigate the college process with clarity and confidence.

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