Chicago Term Continues its Growth and Success

Only two years into its existence, Knox College’s Chicago Term: Life, Work, and Culture in the Second City has become a successful short-term, summer immersion program. This July and August, 12 students spent three weeks in Chicago, engaging in internships, neighborhood tours, museum visits, and city-based experiences as part of a fully immersive course.

Associate Professor of Political Science Thomas Bell and Associate Professor of Political Science Andrew Civettini led the program, based at Loyola University on Chicago's north side.

Knox alums in the Chicago area, along with Tiffany Springer in the Bastian Family Center for Career Success and Levi Morgan in alumni engagement, worked with Civettini and Bell to find internships, programs, activities, and tours for the students, giving Knox students a true taste of city life, both professionally and personally.

“For someone like me with not much experience with Chicago, it was eye-opening in a lot of ways,” said political science major Luay Nsiri ’28. “In terms of giving me my first taste of what it was like living in a metropolitan city like Chicago, it was incredible; it ticked all the boxes.”

For three weeks, students lived in dorms on the campus of Loyola University, participating in their assigned internships Monday through Thursday. On Fridays and Saturdays, they did group activities, with Sunday being an off day to explore the city, shop, do laundry, or prepare for the week. 

“There were only a handful of days we did not have anything scheduled,” Bell said. “If students sat around in their dorm in Chicago and did not do anything more than they were required, I don’t know how successful the program would be, but the students wanted to get out. They wanted to explore.”

Getting out, taking in the city, and making connections while learning was also important. Students had opportunities to figure out where to go, how to get there, and how much time they needed. Armed with a public transportation card, the group quickly grew accustomed to the trains and buses. The feeling of independence gave students a real feel for adulthood and life in the city.

“In college, you’re in the real world and there’s a little bubble around you, you’re an adult but you’re still somewhat protected,” Nsiri said. “We had something like that in Chicago, but it felt like things were loosened a bit. The number of new experiences I had was astonishing, and having the freedom to do that was one of the better aspects of the program.”

Internships and experiences highlighted the term for students, as Civettini and Bell went to work securing jobs that would be rewarding and challenging for the students. The professors worked with alumni, taking advantage of everything from alumni email blasts, relationships built on campus, and a general enthusiasm from Knox graduates who want to help the success of the program.

Internships were secured at a variety of businesses and nonprofits, ranging local schools to community organizations to consultants and independent businesses, and included: 

The Committee on Environmental Protection Alianza Americas, a national interest group for migrant rights and interests, with Alderwoman Marie Hadden.

The Center on Halsted, an organization and facility dedicated to providing a wide range of services for the LGBTQ+ community in Chicago.

Contemporary Farmer, a social enterprise that aims to empower people to develop edible spaces in their homes in order to redefine their relationships with nature and local food systems.

Institute for Restorative Education and Engagement at DePaul University.

Latitude Chicago, a non-profit digital community lab that works with a variety of community partners to provide high-quality digital, artistic, and print content development and production for those partners.

McGuirewoods Consulting, helping redesign websites for community foundations in Illinois.

The Prescott School, helping with registering students and preparing for the upcoming school year, enrolling kids, and making sure they were set up for the upcoming school year.

Solomon Group, helping to empower minority and women entrepreneurs and drive economic development in underserved communities.

Women and Children First (WCF) bookstore, one of the largest feminist bookstores in the country helping with event planning and putting on events.

Knox alumni Joe Moore ’80, Bridgett Coughlin ’94, Sc.D ’19, Karina Martines ’17, Hannah Rapp ’09, Nalani McClendon ’73, Erin Roche ’93, Robert Johnson ’90, and Kaylie Padgett ’17 stepped up to assist Associate Professors Bell and Civettini, either providing an internship, a connection for an internship, or helping with a tour or program.

“It really comes back to their passion for Knox and wanting to do something to help,” Civettini said. “Between our connections, the alumni blasts, and the Chicago area alumni, we have some good relationships and partners who not only provided good internships, but possibly even more for next year already.”

With a homebase and internships secured, students went to work, immersing themselves in Chicago and in a variety of working experiences. Nsiri worked for the DePaul Institute for Restorative Educational Engagement (IREE), while Rhones Agrawal ’28 was at Center on Halstead.

“A big part of it was learning what they did, the importance of advocacy and organizing, and what it is like to link incarcerated people with legislative representatives for internships,” Nsiri said. “A lot of my work will be part of a syllabus at DePaul University, and I’ll be credited for it; that’s incredible. It makes me feel like I was a part of something big, something important. It’s not an opportunity I would have unless I were part of Chicago Term.”

For students, the Chicago Term gave them an immersive, well-rounded college experience. Learning about city living while receiving workplace advice gave the group opportunities unavailable in a classroom-only setting.

The success of the Chicago Term gives the group hope that the program continues to grow and gives more students an opportunity to have a similar experience.

“Professors Bell and Civettini made something great out of this. I loved every moment of it,” Nsiri said. “You’re on the go constantly, and if you want to engage, you’re given all the tools. I have not had a better opportunity to have more memorable experiences than what the Chicago Term gave me.”

For more photos from the Chicago Term, visit our Flickr page photo gallery.