ROTC: A Pathway to College

The only immediate contact I’ve had with the Chicago Public School system is when I volunteered at Senn High School for their new journalism program. Loyola’s chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists started the volunteer program last spring and since I didn’t have any classes on Thursdays, I signed up to help volunteer.

Walking into Senn, I wasn’t overwhelmed with the several differences from what I experienced at my own high school in the suburbs. Honestly, the scariest thing for me was feeling like I was trapped back in high school and the sweet escape of college was all just an illusion. But instead of being the one to sit at a desk and ask the questions, I was the one standing in front of the room answering them.

High schools generally have the same components (tired teachers, animalistic hallways, an over-exaggerated emphasis on sports), but this isn’t to say that I didn’t notice the differences between my high school at home (Oswego East) and the CPS school I was now standing in.

Sure there are more security measures at Senn (e.g. metal detectors at the front door) and the demographic has more African Americans and Hispanics than my demographically-balanced high school. The thing that stood out to me the most is what the students were wearing.

I first noticed it in a class I was tutoring in – an African American young lady wearing a Navy outfit. I was confused, but didn’t think about it too much. But during a passing period I noticed A LOT of students wearing similar outfits – Army, Navy and Air Force.

I’d say about 25% of the students were wearing one such outfit, both boys and girls. I asked a fellow volunteer about it and she said it was because they were apart of the JROTC program (Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps). The program allows students to get free or reduced college tuition in return for a dedicated amount of time to serving the government. No one in my high school was apart of the program and that’s why I was unfamiliar with it.

I think the program is a great opportunity but I presume that the high amount of students enrolled in the ROTC program at Senn joined the program due to a lack of opportunities. I obviously can’t prove this statement and I definitely don’t want to generalize everyone that’s in the program. But the truth is that ROTC offers an opportunity for a very cheap college education. To these students, college might seem like a dream -- not necessarily due to grades, but due to the lack of funds. I’m glad these students have the option to make a college education a reality. It’s because of the high volume of ROTC students at Senn that showed me how opportunities based on economic class presents different issues for students in the city versus students in the suburbs.