Brooks College Prep Student Leaders Ready to Continue Excelling in College and Beyond

Every student’s high school experience looks a little different, but it is often the opportunities that bring students together that make these four years fulfilling. For Aniya, Corey, and Princeton—seniors at Brooks College Prep on the Far South Side—one of those experiences was being part of the school’s Principal Student Advisory Council. 

This club works with Principal Shannae Jackson to plan school-wide events and initiatives that foster unity among students and pride in the school overall. Each student has a distinct role. Aniya is the treasurer. She handles the budget and other financial responsibilities. Corey is the secretary, the one who makes sure everything stays organized. And Princeton is the social media manager. He makes sure that the Brooks student body stays informed about everything the council is planning. 

“We wanted to make the school environment a better place,” said Princeton. “Because we’re all seniors, we wanted to leave with a bang. We want every event to be a way for us to come together and have fun before our time here ends.” 

Being leaders in this extracurricular activity encapsulates a lesson that the three of them have learned at Brooks, especially as they navigated the college admissions process this past year: quality over quantity. Students can often feel pressure to have the “perfect” college application by spreading themselves thin across as many activities as possible, but Aniya, Corey, and Princeton found that it was more rewarding to make larger, more meaningful contributions in a smaller number of commitments. 

“Getting involved in the school is important, but you should do things because you have a passion for them instead of doing them just to do them,” said Corey. “We’ve put our hearts and attention into PSAC, and that has been really beneficial for us.” 

When asked where they see themselves in twenty years, some similarities arise in what they have pictured: a family, a nice house or condo, a car. Pets, too—a cat for Aniya and a French bulldog (furry and gray) for Princeton. But working toward those goals will require a unique path for each of them. They are going to three different colleges in three different parts of the country and have chosen different fields of study. Aniya is interested in becoming a nurse practitioner; Princeton wants to work in marketing; and Corey is looking to pursue either psychotherapy or business administration. 

There’s no doubt that they will continue to grow in college, and it will build on the growth that they have shown in high school. The three of them have always taken their academics seriously, so a lot of their growth has been more connected to the social side of being a student. PSAC has been key. It has allowed them to connect with more students and helped them develop not only into leaders but also into collaborators. 

“While my personality and a lot of my friends are still the same, I feel like I’m more outspoken now,” said Aniya. “Educationally, I’ve seen how putting yourself in different spaces can help push you.” 

Aniya started at Brooks as a seventh-grader in the school’s academic center, and she notes that, when looking back at each year, not one stands out as being a “bad” year. All six of them were good, and Princeton and Corey feel similarly about their experiences. Of course, it’s a bittersweet feeling to be preparing to say farewell to Brooks, but they are also excited for the new experiences, new people, and freedom that college will bring. 

And they will also bring their memories from Brooks with them to college. Some of those memories are of the cornerstones of a typical high school experience—homecoming, pep rallies, spirit weeks, and sporting events. Brooks also has student versus staff games at the beginning of the school year, which are always a fun way to build camaraderie. 

But other memories are of smaller moments, like the laughs shared around the lunch table. They remember playing a game with their phones called Family Style. Everyone puts their phone on the table, and they work together to create dishes in a virtual kitchen by swiping ingredients left and right. The first two words that come to mind for Corey to describe this game are “chaotic” and “crazy.” 

Perhaps high school is kind of like one big game of Family Style. Amidst all the craziness, working together with your peers can be one of the best ways to reach your goals. 

Aniya is headed to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Corey is headed to Georgetown University; and Princeton is headed to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in the fall. CPS congratulates these three students on everything they have accomplished and wishes them all the best in their next chapter!