Antonio Loyola Chicago
CLASS OF ’22
As a graduate of Center for Talent Development’s service- learning programs, Civic Leadership Institute and Civic Week, ANTONIO pays attention to—and cares about—people and community. He’s explored group dynamics and decision-making as a leader and a volunteer, and this fall he’ll learn from a new group of peers as a freshman at Loyola University. “What I’m looking forward to the most is definitely meeting new people and creating bonds with them,” Antonio shares.
His CTD experiences gave him a preview of university life, and Antonio praises Civic Leadership Institute (CLI) for giving him the time to get to know fellow students and staff. The program’s three-week format encouraged connections and “made it like a small family, in a way.” CLI also provided Antonio with a chance to examine and address real-world issues, particularly problems faced by the citizens of large cities. When a CLI assignment challenged him to seek a solution to an issue in his own community, Antonio focused on race and acceptance. “It helped me create an image of who I am as a person and my talent as a person,” he recalls, noting it was his favorite CTD project.
Though Antonio credits CTD with helping him learn more about himself, he sees his natural talent as learning about others. He considers himself to be “curious, forthright, and confident,” and he values decisiveness and hard work. These qualities have made him a stronger leader, and he’s demonstrated a pioneering instinct in surprising ways. Recently, he’s taken the initiative to form a soccer team with friends, and he’s put an entrepreneurial spin on his love for gaming and technology by starting a small electronics-repair business. “I also have the ability to listen to others and gather what they say to benefit the both of us,” Antonio says of his interpersonal skills, which will no doubt serve him as he pursues his goal of becoming a doctor.
As an athlete, gamer, and aspiring medical professional, Antonio stands out from the crowd, and he recognizes the value in being an individual. While a CTD student, he watched his classmates as they found their own unique voices, and he saw how these differences made the community “more diverse and stronger.” Though fitting in might be appealing, Antonio explains that CTD is a place where risks are rewarded. “Being out of your comfort zone is okay,” he assures other students. “People at CTD won’t judge: they are here to help you to become the person that you can be.”
Paige Northwestern CLASS OF ’22
PAIGE is no stranger to the Northwestern campus, where she spent years cultivating a gift for self-expression in Center for Talent Development summer classes. Now, she’s looking forward to sing- ing and being onstage as she enters Northwestern as a Voice and Opera Performance major in the fall. “I’m still in disbelief that I get to take a bunch of music classes and sing every day,” Paige admits, though she’s been appearing in shows since age 7.
As a CTD student, Paige studied a range of genres and narrative devices, including documentary filmmaking. “I love learning about things I’ve never even heard of before,” Paige explains, “and it fascinates me thinking about the role of the filmmaker as they try to grow close to their subject and tell the story in the best, most truthful way possible.” Her other CTD classes, such as Critical Discourse, Creative Writing: The Next Chapter, and Improvisation and Scene Writing, encouraged her to think more about true events and current issues, as well as ways to develop ideas on the page, the stage, and the screen. In her favorite CTD class, Third Coast Story Slam, Paige workshopped ideas as part of a diverse, five-student cohort, which provided an unexpected opportunity to develop close ties with creative peers. “In the end,” Paige says, “it was so hard to say goodbye to my new best friends, but I’d learned so much about writing, story-telling, and the importance of human connection.”
These connections continued outside the classroom: Paige still corresponds with CTD friends in Moscow and Shanghai, as well as others preparing to enter top U.S. universities this fall. Though she lives nearby, Paige participated in the CTD Summer Program as a residential student, which offered her an introduction to dorm life. She bonded with RAs and other students on campus and recalls how important it was to join them in card games and movie nights, or visits to the beach and downtown Evanston. “It was the best thing I ever did with my summers,” she reflects. “I’d recommend CTD to anyone. It’s challenging, exciting, fun, and different from any experience I ever had in school or at another summer camp. CTD has given me lifelong skills, knowledge, and friendships.”
A self-described “all-in, joyful, and creative” person, Paige recog- nizes she didn’t get this far alone. “Each of my teachers and peers helped encourage me and convince me that I was hardworking and talented enough to do whatever I wanted to do,” she says of her CTD experience. “So, when I decided what I wanted to do was perform, I knew that I could because of them.”
Center for Talent Development
ctd.northwestern.edu
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