Waukegan High seniors share dreams at Celebration Day event; ‘I want to make Waukegan a better place'
Most of Waukegan High School's senior class took part in a celebration courtesy of District 60 that featured dancing, a picnic and games.
Many of the teens embarking on adulthood have one thing in common — they plan to return to their hometown after their post-secondary schooling. They plan careers in law, education, healthcare and more, like Yami Montejano, who will attend National Louis University in the fall.
Through a church group, Montejano said she got involved in environmental projects, keeping the community cleaner and dealing with pollution. Majoring in business, she sees providing affordable housing for the community as another goal.
'I want to build Section 8 housing for single parents with children,' Montejano said. 'My mom was a single parent. My dad was an alcoholic and died when I was 9. I want to make Waukegan a better place so people don't have to go through what we did.'
Montejano was just one of the more than 700 seniors participating in the Senior Celebration Day on Monday on the Washington Campus in Waukegan, with dancing, a photo booth, a picnic lunch and games.
Jahleel Shepherd, a college and career counselor at the high school, said that with the seniors ready to go to college, join the workforce or enlist in the military, Celebration Day is a chance for them to have a final opportunity to be with each other as a group.
'It's a celebration for Waukegan seniors to be together as they make important life choices,' Shepherd said.
Approximately 80% will attend college, either at a two-year school like the College of Lake County or a four-year university, Shepherd said.
Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham is a Waukegan High graduate who returned to his hometown after college. He established an insurance business, spent 18 years as an alderman, four as mayor and is starting another four-year term. He was pleased to hear about those wishing to return home.
'This is part of rebuilding Waukegan,' he said. 'Our young men and young women who want to return home are looking for a different Waukegan. This is what I and other leaders are preparing our city for. They want to pay it forward.'
Victor Hinojosa was a two-term student member of the District 60 Board of Education and active in other political organizations, both locally and nationally. He is headed to the University of Chicago to study public administration and political science before going to law school.
'I'm going to do something in public service and activism to serve my community,' Hinojosa said of his life after college and law school. 'Waukegan is my home, and the place where I want to make a difference.'
Another future lawyer is Ja'Cara Smith. She will attend Alabama A&M University, where she will study criminal justice first before going to law school. She has not decided on a home after her schooling.
Lamero Ceaser, a member of the football and wrestling teams, is heading to Augustana University. He also plans a career in law as a family and criminal law attorney, probably as a prosecutor. He, too, plans to practice in Waukegan.
'I want to be an advocate for people who need justice,' he said.
Angeline Flores plans to study nursing at CLC. She plans to get a job in Waukegan or nearby. She said it will allow her to be close to family. Nursing will allow her to 'help people,' she said.
Adriana Franklin is already teaching preschool at the CLC Tech Campus. She is going to Illinois State University after graduation to earn her degree in the subject before returning to Waukegan to teach young children.
'Every child should start school at 3,' Franklin said. 'They learn so much between 3 and 5. I see it every day. They will have a hard time catching up if they don't.'
Not everyone is going to college, and some will venture far from home. Jefferson Perez and Josue Montoya will be U.S. Marines on May 26, 10 days after they graduate high school. Their reason is similar to their other classmates' choices.
'I want to help my country and everyone in it,' Perez said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Labour urged to publish impact of rent reforms as eviction delays soar
Ministers are being urged to publish a report into the impact of rental reforms on the courts as landlords face eight-month delays to repossess their property. Government departments are required to complete a justice impact assessment for any new bills that are likely to impact the UK courts system. Labour's Renters' Reform Bill is set to become law this summer and will include the removal of Section 21 'no-fault evictions'. There are fears the change will force landlords to rely on the courts to regain possession of their properties, adding to existing backlogs. Private landlords faced an eight-month wait from making a claim to the courts to their properties being repossessed in the first four months of 2025, according to the latest government data. Chris Norris, chief policy officer for the National Residential Landlords Association, said: 'The justice system is simply not ready for the impact of the Bill. 'In the interests of transparency, the Government should publish the Justice Impact test. The Government also needs to come clean about how it defines the courts being ready for the reforms. Warm words are no substitute for clear objectives for the justice system.' Justice impact assessments are an internal process and not usually published by government departments, but previous ministers have committed to publishing court reviews ahead of implementing rental reforms. The former Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee in a 2023 report said: 'It is not clear whether the Government fully appreciates the extent to which an unreformed courts system could undermine its tenancy reforms.' Furthermore, in a consultation in 2022, the then-government acknowledged that Section 21 was preferred by landlords to other means of eviction – such as Section 8 – as it was perceived as 'quicker and more certain'. Richard Atkinson, president of the Law Society, said of the Renters' Rights Bill: 'The bill will not be effective without further investment in the justice system.' Mr Atkinson also urged the Government to 'provide greater funding and more clarity to the enforcement provisions so that justice is accessible to renters and landlords alike'. In addition to concerns about the justice system, a report has warned impacts of the bill will add almost £900 a year to the average tenancy. The legislation will limit landlords to just one rent increase per year capped at the 'market rate' – the price that would be achieved if the property was newly advertised to let. Landbay said property owners were planning to increase rent by an average of 6pc, which would add £74 to the average monthly rent, or £888 a year. Dr Neil Cobbold, director at property software company Reapit UKI, said: 'The Government's decision not to share the Renters' Rights Bill justice impact test raises serious questions about transparency and accountability. The estimate of changes in the number of court and tribunal cases is a vital tool for understanding how the legislation will affect the property sector – including case volumes – and whether the justice infrastructure is in place to support the change.' The Bill is currently going through the House of Lords before being sent back to the Commons and is expected to receive Royal Assent by summer 2025 and be implemented before the end of the year. An MHCLG spokesman said: 'As was the case under previous governments, Justice Impact Tests are internal government documents and it is not standard practice for them to be published. 'We are fully focussed on ensuring the justice system is ready for our reforms, which will create a fairer housing market, and are working closely with the Ministry of Justice and HM Courts and Tribunal Service to ensure all necessary preparations are in place.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Labour urged to publish rent reforms impact report as eviction delays soar
Ministers are being urged to publish a report into the impact of rental reforms on the courts as landlords face eight-month delays to repossess their property. Government departments are required to complete a justice impact assessment for any new bills that are likely to impact the UK courts system. Labour's Renters' Reform Bill is set to become law this summer and will include the removal of Section 21 'no-fault evictions'. There are fears the change will force landlords to rely on the courts to regain possession of their properties, adding to existing backlogs. Private landlords faced an eight-month wait from making a claim to the courts to their properties being repossessed in the first four months of 2025, according to the latest government data. Chris Norris, chief policy officer for the National Residential Landlords Association, said: 'The justice system is simply not ready for the impact of the Bill. 'In the interests of transparency, the Government should publish the Justice Impact test. The Government also needs to come clean about how it defines the courts being ready for the reforms. Warm words are no substitute for clear objectives for the justice system.' Justice impact assessments are an internal process and not usually published by government departments, but previous ministers have committed to publishing court reviews ahead of implementing rental reforms. The former Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee in a 2023 report said: 'It is not clear whether the Government fully appreciates the extent to which an unreformed courts system could undermine its tenancy reforms.' Furthermore, in a consultation in 2022, the then-government acknowledged that Section 21 was preferred by landlords to other means of eviction – such as Section 8 – as it was perceived as 'quicker and more certain'. Richard Atkinson, president of the Law Society, said of the Renters' Rights Bill: 'The bill will not be effective without further investment in the justice system.' Mr Atkinson also urged the Government to 'provide greater funding and more clarity to the enforcement provisions so that justice is accessible to renters and landlords alike'. In addition to concerns about the justice system, a report has warned impacts of the bill will add almost £900 a year to the average tenancy. The legislation will limit landlords to just one rent increase per year capped at the 'market rate' – the price that would be achieved if the property was newly advertised to let. Landbay said property owners were planning to increase rent by an average of 6pc, which would add £74 to the average monthly rent, or £888 a year. Dr Neil Cobbold, director at property software company Reapit UKI, said: 'The Government's decision not to share the Renters' Rights Bill justice impact test raises serious questions about transparency and accountability. The estimate of changes in the number of court and tribunal cases is a vital tool for understanding how the legislation will affect the property sector – including case volumes – and whether the justice infrastructure is in place to support the change.' The Bill is currently going through the House of Lords before being sent back to the Commons and is expected to receive Royal Assent by summer 2025 and be implemented before the end of the year. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government was approached for comment. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Washington's most outrageous MAGA correspondent Natalie Winters dishes on dating in DC: ‘Most men are gay'
Washington's MAGA 'It Girl' correspondent, Natalie Winters, is dishing the dirt on dating in DC after President Trump swept into office — and she's claiming 'most men' who run in the capital's political power circles are gay. 'I think most men are gay in DC — either out or closeted depending on whether they're Democrats or Republicans,' the 24-year-old White House correspondent for Steve Bannon's 'War Room' told the Times of London. Winters also had some eye-opening details on some of the men she and her friends meet in Washington, DC. 'Because I'm such a great investigative reporter, my girlfriends hit me up to investigate the guys they go on dates with,' she said. 'The stuff I found out is insane: married, people who claimed to own multiple properties. One said they had eight rentals, a hunting cabin, 500 acres, a mill town home and many restaurants, and it turned out they actually lived in a housing estate like Section 8,' she added. As for Winters, who recently bought a house of her own, she teased that she may be off the market. 'I want to marry someone who allows me to protect feminine energy in a world that is forcing me to be a girl boss because they keep sending Steve [Bannon] to prison. Perhaps I have …' she said, before trailing off. Winters, who had her membership application for the prestigious National Press Club in DC denied last month, delights in flouting the conventions on Capitol Hill. During dinner at the swanky Waldorf Astoria, Winters is complimented on her denim hotpants by an admirer from Texas who said she had wanted to wear something similar but was told the dress code was more formal. 'Oh, you should have worn it,' Winters said in reply. 'That's why you have to do it even more.' As a young woman in politics, Winters said she is used to not getting taken seriously. 'When anyone covers me, they talk as if I've just sprung up because of my miniskirts,' she said, adding that they forget about her years of reporting at 'War Room' — which is a must-listen for the MAGA faithful working in Washington. Despite her reputation as a wild young disrupter, in reality, Winters lives a strictly controlled lifestyle. She doesn't drink, doesn't consume seed oils, doesn't wear perfume and barely ever eats carbs, she told the Times. 'I just don't like eating carbs like that. I like to eat stuff that gives me glowing skin. If it's not gonna give me glowing skin, then it's not worth it,' she said. For now, Winters continues to be a scourge of 'the Libs' in Washington and a close ally to Bannon, the former White House adviser to President Trump and trail blazer in the MAGA movement.
