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YLA HistoryIn 1996 Youth Leadership Academy started as a program within Elgin Communitycollege to provide leadership training and mentorship to our youth. Four yearslater, in 2000, YLA became its own separate incorporated 501c3 non-profitorganization. A decade after, in 2010, our organization introduced a servicecurriculum to our students and in the following year, 2011, parents’ educationservices were added to our programs. YLA did not stop there. By 2018, ourservice curriculum evolved into a community engagement learning model wherestudents actually solve problems in our community.Now, starting in 2019, we have been connecting with our alumni students. Weperiodically check in on them, and we provide additional information andresources to support them as they graduate from college.Our home changed in 2022 from Elgin Community College to Judson University,but our services have continued.

YLA Mission and ObjectivesMission: The mission of the Youth Leadership Academy (YLA) is to engage and inspire youth to maximizetheir potential by becoming successful community leaders via the access and responsible utilization ofpost-secondary education.Objectives: At YLA, our objectives are to deliver quality leadership development programming to ourcadets (another name for our students), who come from “at-risk”, low income backgrounds, and tosupport our cadets so that they may complete a college degree or trade school.At its core, YLA’s mission is to propel its students towards college and towards success. Successmanifests differently for each student, as each student has different goals for their college and careerjourneys.BoardCarolyn O’Neal - Vice President - Retired School AdministratorCorey Dixon - Kane County Sheriff’s DepartmentDemitrius Smith - President - TeamEntrepreneurs CorpOfficer Edwin Alva - Elgin Police DepartmentDr. Gillian Stewart-Wells - Judson UniversityJim Cook - U-46 School DistrictVictoria Aidaro - U-46 School DistrictFredy Quevedo - YLA Alumni Rep - Chicago BearsRory Jeanniton - YLA Alumni Rep - Rally Point CounselingJennifer Hartzog - YLA Parent Rep - Medical FieldZulema Ruiz - YLA Parent Rep - Health Management CompanyLydia Gillius - YLA Employee/Volunteer Rep - Entrepreneur

Dear YLA Community,We have been through a lot of changes over the past years. First the COVID 19 shut down thatinterrupted our recruiting process and forced many students to quit to support their family.Our programming went online, and many students endured and received their education on ascreen Monday through Friday and then came to YLA to do it again on Saturday morning. It wasemotionally exhausting to many of our students and parents, but we made it through.Then there was the move from Elgin Community College toJudson University. Our abrupt email change caused a lot ofmiscommunication with our families, and our domainflooded with junk mail. But we made it through.It was appropriate this year for me to choose the theme forthe YLA Extravaganza 2023 to indicate that we will continueto shine - hence the denom and the bling, to symbolize thatwe are still cool despite all of the change. We take all of thisin stride, and YLA will continue to serve our community ofstudents and their families through our transition.Thank you to our team of volunteers, parents, staff, andcadets who worked hard to make our year a success!Best,Kathy-Ann Pegues M.EdExecutive DirectorYouth Leadership Academy

Denim and Bling: Sponsors andGrantsTha yo to the many individuals, groups, and organizations in our community whosupport our cadets in reaching their potential. Without your generous support, we could notfind and break down the many barriers to secure that future for our students.Thank you to the grants provided this year!Judson Community CollegeGrand Victoria FoundationKiwanis of ElginRoss StoresYMCASponsorships:City of ElginStarship TravelVern's TavernCity of Elgin Human Relations CommissionStateFarm - David ImYouth Leadership Academy sincerely thanks Judson University for opening their doors to YLA.They have housed and supported our program with office and classroomspace, as well as with resources on the campus. Thank you JudsonUniversity!

Denim and Bling: DonorsThank you to all of the generous supporters of this event:Al’s CaféAndy’s Frozen CustardArabica CaféBeef VillaBlue Box CaféCafé RomaChicago BearsChicago Fire ClubChicago White SoxChick-fil-ACity of Elgin Parks & Recreation DeptEdible ArrangementElgin Historical SocietyElgin Public HouseEpic AirErnie HudsonFat Cat Custom GuitarsFriends of YLAGolf Club of IllinoisHemmens Cultural CenterHemmens Cultural CenterJimmy’s CharhouseKey West Car Wash & DetailLegacy TraxLincoln Ave BarbershopLocs by DomLucid SalonMarcus TheatresMcAlister’s DeliMeadows Dental CareMOD PizzaQ NailsRandall’s Pancake House & RestaurantRediscover RecordsSide Street Studio ArtSiefitStarbucksTropical Smoothie CaféVern’s TavernViator CoffeeWoofbeach

Extravaganza GuestSpeakerEvelyne SanquinettiEvelyn Sanguinetti is an American attorney and human rightsadvocate who served as the 47th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois,becoming the first Latina Lieutenant Governor in the United States.She subsequently served as the Executive Director of HOPE Fair Housing Center. Inher 20+ years in public service, Evelyn has earned a reputation of being animpactful coalition-builder, problem-solver, and change-agent. Evelyn Sanguinetti is a wife, working mother of three, and an attorney by trade.Sanguinetti was born in Hialeah, a neighborhood outside of Miami, Florida, toteenage parents – her mother a Cuban refugee, and her father an Ecuadorianimmigrant. Growing up in extreme poverty, Sanguinetti relied on governmentassistance for food and housing. Her first language was Spanish. AlthoughSanguinetti struggled in school, her first break came when she earned a place inthe prestigious New World School of the Arts, a magnet school for the arts inMiami. She then went on to attend Florida International University.Following graduation, Sanguinetti moved to Chicago to attend The John MarshallLaw School (JMLS) where she developed an understanding and passion for the lawand for Illinois. While in law school, Sanguinetti joined the JMLS Fair Housing LegalClinic. She served as President of the Hispanic Student Association and the FairHousing Association. Through her work at the Fair Housing Legal Clinic, she wasable to practice law pursuant to Illinois Supreme Court Rule 711, and representedvictims of housing discrimination. While a student, she successfully handled thefirst ever case at the Chicago Commission on Human Relations that established aprecedent for discrimination based on source of income (McCutchen v. Robinson,CCHR No. 95-I-1-84). She soon joined Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan’s office asan assistant Attorney General where she fought to protect the people of the Stateof Illinois. Sanguinetti subsequently served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at JMLSand a Wheaton City Councilwoman.

Our StaffNo Group Works Harder for our Future!Vivienne Bailey - 7th Grade MentorLydia Guillis - 7th Grade MentorMari Escamilla - 8th Grade MentorFranklin Ramirez - 9th Grade MentorDayana Estrada - 10th Grade MentorSamuel Schweizer - 11th Grade MentorCharlotte Dunn - 12th Grade MentorJanice Hare - 12th Grade MentorKatrina Neal - Service Learning MentorRory Jenniton - Alumni MentorLinda Ramirez - Parent CoordinatorReina Franco - Parent CoordinatorChristine Padilla - Administrative AssistantKathy-Ann Pegues - Executive Director

“Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. Youdon’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t haveto make your subject and your verb agree to serve. Youdon’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics inphysics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soulgenerated by love.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.Dayana Jimenez Estrada is a Manufacturing Engineer in the Bartlett area. She helps overseethe shop floor and also assists in bridging the gap between quality control and manufacturing.She is an alumna of Hilltop Elementary School, Ellis Middle School, and Elgin High School.During her time at Elgin High School she decided on pursuing engineering as a career andplaced her focus on achieving that goal. After high school, she attended Elgin CommunityCollege and then transferred to Northern Illinois University. She received her Bachelor's degreein Science of Mechanical Engineering in 2020. She enjoys spending her free time reading andtaking long walks with her 6-year-old pitbull, Boris.Mar L Escamilla is an alumna of Clinton Elementary School, Ellis Middle School, Elgin HighSchool, and Elgin Community College. She is a first-generation graduate with a Bachelor's ofScience in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin - Platteville. She currentlyworks as an Applications Engineer in the Bartlett area. Some of her hobbies are reading,traveling, enjoying new food, and trying out new experiences.Franklin Ramirez was born and raised in Chicago and shares the “oldest child” position with hisidentical twin brother (who is seven minutes older) and has a younger brother and sister. Intotal, Franklin has eight nephews and two nieces. He is also a foster parent to a teenage boy.Franklin holds his MA in Organizational Leadership from Judson University and has his BBA fromLoyola University. He was elected to be the Elgin Township Supervisor between 2017-2021 andnow is the Associate Director for Senior Services Associates. Franklin sits on the boards of theElgin Kiwanis Club, Boys and Girls Club of Elgin, and the League of Women Voters of the ElginArea. His personal mission statement reads: “Be honorable in all aspects of life and courageousin times of need while mentoring young America so that they may have the tools to becometomorrow’s leaders.”Samuel Thomas Schweizer is an Applications Engineer in the Bartlett area. He enjoys themanufacturing atmosphere and being able to see the process from beginning to end. He grewup in the St. Charles area and was involved in many sports and community service during hischildhood. His interest in engineering started during childhood when he took things apart andput them back together. He received his Bachelor’s of Science in Biomedical Engineering in 2018and received his Master’s of Science in Engineering in 2020, both from the Milwaukee School of

Engineering. His hobbies include playing basketball with his friends and siblings and taking longwalks with his 11-year-old Yorkshire Terrier, Lucy.Reina Franco is a first generation Mexican American. She works as the new State Recruiter forNorthern Illinois University (NIU) for the Migrant Education Program. This program providesstudents with support for their education, legal, and medical needs. She works particularly withagriculture workers’ students to help them accomplish a better and higher education andprepare them to be the best leaders of tomorrow. Reina loves helping and giving back to her community. Previously, she worked in the translationfield for more than 10 years as a senior legal assistant.Ms. Franco obtained her bachelor’s degree in Communications and Management from JudsonUniversity and her Associate of Applied Science Degree from Elgin Community College. She livesin Elgin, Illinois with her two sons Sergio and Alan. She is an active board member of the ElginHispanic Network, as well as of the Elgin Youth Leadership Academy, where she translates andmanages the local youth parents in becoming active community leaders and seeking highereducation for themselves and their kids.Christine Padilla is the Administrative Assistant for the Youth Leadership Academy. She startedthis position in August of 2017 and has really enjoyed getting to meet the YLA families, as wellas getting to work alongside such a talented and dedicated staff. In addition to her work at YLA,Christine is also the Administrative Assistant for the Information Services Department at GailBorden Public Library. She has been working at Gail Borden since July of 2014 and is verypassionate about the work, staff, and community at the library. Christine was born and raised in Elgin, so she takes great pride in working for two organizationsthat have such a positive impact on the local community. In 2000, Christine attended the AnnualLatino Awards Banquet, where she was awarded a 2-year academic scholarship by ClubGuadalupano of Elgin. Christine attended Elgin Community College, where she received her A.S.with Honors. After graduation, Christine transferred to DePaul University’s College ofCommerce, where she studied Business Administration. Christine plans on continuing hereducation, as she firmly believes that a strong academic foundation provides both personal andprofessional benefits all throughout life.Kathy-Ann Pegues started off her adulthood wanting to be an aerospace engineer. However,after she married and gave birth to her first child, she saw the power of educating and teachingour young children, and she changed her major to education. She now holds a Master ofEducation from Indiana Wesleyan and a Bachelor’s Degree from Purdue University. She hasbeen in education and worked with students for over 27 years. In that time, she has taught inthe classroom, led a grade level of teachers and staff to implement impactful programs forstudent success and growth, and helped create curricula for schools and districts that have hadmeaningful and lasting impacts on achievements. Prior to Youth Leadership Academy, Mrs. Pegues was the founder and executive director of a

private school in Atlanta, GA. She moved to Chicagoland when her husband accepted a job inthe area. Today she enjoys spending time with her children more than ever, inspiring them toachieve their dreams and goals. The oldest Jamila is now an astrophysicist working as apostdoctoral researcher. Nia is a college senior who dabbles in theater, plays field hockey, andconducts neuroscience research. Eli is the youngest with a corny sense of humor (like his dad),who is currently a college sophomore that enjoys basketball and debate. Lastly (but certainlynot the least) is Velvet, a dog of mixed Yorkshire and Dachshund heritage who thinks she's muchlarger than she is.With her experience, Mrs. Pegues aims to build on the great foundation at Youth LeadershipAcademy, so as to help other families achieve their goals and dreams of sending students tocollege and creating impactful futures.

Youth Leadership AcademyGrade FocusThe Path to College for any YLA cadet is a 6 year process starting with the complex exploration of self andending with the confidence of independence to launch our cadets onto the college campuses across thecountry. Our cadets are selected in 6thgrade through a rigorous application process including aninterview with commitment and potential as the key motivators.7thGrade – Finding your GiftsSelf-Awareness · Talents · Gifts · PersonalitiesThe focus here is on the exploration of talents and skills, as well as on helping our cadets understandtheir personalities, beliefs and values so that they can make positive decisions, decipher emotions andplan their future. The qualities learned here would be developed throughout YLA years, as the cadetsmature and learn to become independent. Our mentors play a key part as realistic role models thatencourage self-confidence, focus on cadets’ values and how to both handle stress and understand whereit comes from.8thGrade – Finding your PeaceCultural Tolerance · Cultural Awareness · DiversityWith today’s globalization, and in a world that has become connected multiculturally through thefar-reaching powers of the Internet, establishing tolerance and harmony has become very crucial andimportant. Our students must learn to live with people of different backgrounds, cultures and religionsin an environment where fostering mutual tolerance and affection has become vital. YLA aims at helpingour cadets counter influences that lead to fear and exclusion of others.9thGrade – Finding your VoicePublic Speaking · Branding · Social MediaThe focus here is for our cadets to be able to speak persuasively - a skill that is vital not only for ourfuture politicians, business leaders and teachers, but also for everyone in general, because almosteveryone will, at some point in their lives, have to persuade others. Our focus goes beyond just speaking;it also includes teaching our cadets to build positive brands of themselves. We guide our cadets to ask,“What do others think of when they see me, based on their perception of me?” We teach them positiveways to interact with people, and how to carry themselves publicly in a variety of different situations,along with different social platforms and media.10thGrade – Finding Your FutureCareer Ready · Work Skills ·The skills our YLA cadets learn are skills that successful people have in any career. Being ready for acareer means that by now, our cadets have a good sense of self and are willing to have conversationsabout the world of work. This is the grade where we focus on expanding our cadets’ visions of thefuture.

11thGrade – Finding your PathCollege Knowledge ·From applications to dorm drop-off, we are there to help our cadets make the important decisions withinthe college process. We realize that choosing the universities our cadets will attend for about half adecade is not an easy task. We help our students navigate the academic programs, locations, socialatmospheres, sizes and types of colleges they want to have their crucial early adult memories associatedwith.12ThGrade – Finding your IndependenceCollege Transition · Life Skills · ProfessionalismJust because our cadets will be going to college does not mean that they are ready to live on their own.Life skills are essential for our students to succeed and master their college experience. Keepingthemselves safe, knowing the options for asking for help, handling finances and budget, and keepingtrack of personal and professional records are just a few essential skills for our cadets to survive on theirown. This last year of YLA focuses on allowing our cadets to succeed in accomplishing collegecompletion and getting ready for independence in the world.

Youth Leadership Academy - Community Service LearningCurriculumYLA utilizes the 5-Step Service Learning Model to provide our cadets with a framework forunderstanding their talents and interests as well as how to leverage them to help address communityneeds. The primary purpose of Service Learning in the YLA is to offer a structured setting in which thecadets can practice and improve their leadership skills. In addition to building the next generation ofcommunity leaders, Service Learning is an intentional way in which young people can inherit importantphilanthropic values. Some of these values include volunteering and building foundational relationshipswith organizations that address issues in which they are particularly passionate.In short, we are putting our cadets into our communities to actually solve our big issues. We areharnessing their passions and helping them apply their achieved skills to work directly with communityleaders to solve problems. By doing so, YLA increases the value it provides both to our cadets(enhanced skills) and to the community (enhanced services).The five steps of Service Learning are:Investigation – learning more about the core issue under the need for service (7th- 8thGrade)Planning and Preparation – working as a group to do something to address the core need in theircommunity (9th Grade - 10thGrade)Action – implementing the project, which can be a direct or indirect form of impacting thecommunity (11 Grade)Reflection – intentionally facilitated group time to articulate what was learned from the overallexperience (12 Grade)Demonstration – presenting to other groups what was accomplished and why, with the goal of inspiringothers to do the same or more in the future (12 Grade)After students spend the first 2 years exploring issues, they are ready upon entering high school tochoose a problem in their community that they can collectively put ideas, resources, and energy behindto solve. In the last year, cadets conclude their experience by analyzing and reflecting on results, andthen packaging their takeaways into a celebrated presentation left behind as a framework for others tofollow.

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