The challenges along the way, however, differ greatly from student to student.
To celebrate the achievement of students representing various races, ethnicities and genders, more schools and communities are holding multicultural graduation celebrations in addition to traditional commencement ceremonies.
Rock Valley College hosted its long-standing Sankofa celebration for its Black graduates this year, and for the first time held a special graduation ceremony for members of the college s Latinx community.
A Rockford education advocate will host his third annual All Black Graduation on June 19 at the Sinnissippi Music Shell.
And for its 12th in row year, Northern Illinois University joined more than 200 colleges and universities across the country this spring by hosting its Lavender Graduation Celebration, a special ceremony for students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, asexual or intersex.
ROCKFORD There are four candidates in the upcoming Rock Valley College election and only two seats to fill on the seven-member, nonpartisan board.
The candidates are Peter Cimino, Ira Grimmett, John M. Nelson and Crystal Soltow. Only Nelson is a current board member, having been previously elected in 2017.
The two winners of the April 6 election will serve six-year terms. The positions are non-paid.
The college has an annual budget of about $100 million and about 5,500 students.
Rock Valley’s district encompasses nearly all of Winnebago and Boone counties and parts of DeKalb, McHenry, Ogle and Stephenson counties.
Here are the candidates for Rock Valley College Board of Trustees:
ROCKFORD For her final Black History Month announcement Friday afternoon, Guilford High School sophomore Kawaia Jackson shared the empowering words of civil rights and women s rights activist Dorothy Height.
“I want to be remembered as someone who used herself and anything she could touch to work for justice and freedom, the 15-year-old read over the schoolwide audio system. I want to be remembered as one who tried.”
And then, as if she was taking a cue from the longtime former president of the National Council of Negro Women herself, Jackson added her own conclusion to the announcement.
After saying a tongue-in-cheek farewell to Black excellence because the month was coming to a close, the high schooler urged her fellow students to embrace the importance of Black history every day of the year.
Rockford University dean Karen Walker delves into Black History Month rrstar.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rrstar.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Editors’ Note: This month, in celebration of those who have paved the way and continue to pave the way for civil rights and equality, we are featuring a Q&A with Black leaders, educators, artists and more.
Glorie O’Connell is a Rockford artist known for her paintings, prints and handmade jewelry. She is a student at Kishwaukee College in Dekalb County. Last summer, she worked closely with Misfit Market to help organize a Black Lives Matter art fundraiser to support three local organizations. More than $1,200 was raised.
What does Black History Month mean to you?
Glorie O’Connell: I have always been excited about Black History Month. I ve always liked learning about it. For me, it s important and it means a lot. It s not taught very much in schools and there are a lot of things that are deeper than how they re taught or what they’re explained as.