The Phoenix Pact is a program that makes it possible for qualifying North Lawndale graduates to go to colleges where they are most likely to succeed, rather than having to settle for colleges they can afford. 

Two qualifying students will attend Lake Forest College this fall through The Phoenix Pact. They are among more than 40 North Lawndale graduates who received Phoenix Pact scholarships in the program’s inaugural year. So far, 15 colleges have signed the pact.

The Phoenix Pact is a three-way partnership between students who commit to graduate with a B average or better; colleges that agree to keep costs manageable and to ensure that at least half of their minority students earn a degree; and The Phoenix Pact, which will cover any financial gap remaining between the cost of attendance and available financial aid.

“We appreciate the innovative approach toward moving students not only onto college, but through college,” Lake Forest College Director of Admissions David Bennett said.

Bennett met with Lake Forest’s incoming first-year students Marquis Douglas and Kiana Porter, both members of The Phoenix Pact, at the program’s kick off in June, where U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the new initiative with North Lawndale’s president.