#1StudentNWI: Teamwork & Promising Futures at Area Career Center University

#1StudentNWI: Teamwork & Promising Futures at Area Career Center University

What Has Happened at ACCU

The Area Career Center University has started its sixth year and is maintaining its hold on academic excellence. If someone were to walk the halls of this school, they would feel a sense of motivation, a forward mindset so thick you could cut it with a knife. Last summer, the seniors want to further their knowledge and education. More than 20 students went to Vincennes University to take an accelerated, two-week sociology course. This course was hosted at the Vincennes campus for the first week, and then the students moved to the ACCU for the second week. This coursed kept the same rigor as the semester course, but crunched the work down into a two section. Even though this course was a lot of work, every student who participated in this program passed the course. These students received the college credits for the course, and became one step closer to obtaining their associates degree. Students are also involved with numerous volunteer projects and individualized volunteer hours. Nearly 20 students from ACCU’s Health Sciences Pathway volunteered at the annual Tri-City Special Games held at E.C. Central. These students dedicated five hours, on a Saturday, not only helped the day run smoothly but gave them a new perspective on life.

Teacher Spotlight

Kenneth Ilio is a fundamental member to the university. He has been teaching at the ACCU since its conception in 2013. He was the first science teacher on board and teaching. During those five years, Mr. Ilio’s course list has grown. Starting with only teaching Biology I at the high school level; he has now grown to teach two additional classes at the college level. These classes are Anatomy and Physiology and Biology II. His favorite part of teaching these classes is imparting his knowledge, as well as the courses knowledge, onto his students. He finds pride in being able to share what he knows from the vast experience that he has. Mr. Ilio loves to make his course rigorous but also understandable. His favorite thing is when students are able to grasp the content and run with it.

His favorite thing is his commute to work. He has a high distaste for driving, but the forty minute drive from Chicago is his “me time.” He is able to coast down Lake Shore Drive with the low south bound traffic and listen to music. The commute back home, well, is a different story. In his spare time, Mr. Ilio loves to write and loves photography. Taking pictures of nature, couples, and events is what he does in his spare time. He even was generous enough to take the pictures of ACCU’s prom this year.

Student Spotlight

Jasmine Webster is a senior at the Area Career Center University. Her abilities in the classroom are well known to the teachers and the other students. Webster loves her career classes, and the classes that make her work harder. She thrives off of excelling in her work. Jasmine knows it is hard to do but she feels as though she is not wasting time which is her biggest pet peeve. At school, she is apart of the HOSA team and National History Day. With both being competition style conferences, she was not supposed to have made it to state at both events. Jasmine made it to the second qualifying round for Medical Spelling at HOSA, and to state at NHD with her paper on the history of Fort Wayne. After school hours, Jasmine enjoys her free time by drawing/sketching and binge watching everything from videos to movies. Her favorite quote is “Time you enjoy wasting, is not time wasted.” Her pathway at the ACCU is Health Sciences. She excels considerably in the pathway and is one of few students known for their exceedingly high academic ability. This ability to understand the health sciences so well has allowed her to craft a healthcare professional’s perspective. With her sense of academia and perspective, she plans on becoming a gynecologist. Jasmine wants to attend college and further her education.

What’s Next at ACCU

The students at the ACCU are initiating the fall round of state standardized testing. With iStep+ being one of many graduation requirements, it is important that the kids are ready and mentally prepared for this series of testing. The students are studying and practicing in and outside of the classroom. Every year, the ACCU offers after school tutoring and study sessions for any of the state and national standardized tests. Students are even studying intensely for the SAT. While some kids have only taken the test once, some students are taking the test 3-4 times just to raise their scores further than what they need for college. The seniors must apply by the November 1st for the early action deadline. This deadline is fundamental to receive merit based scholarships and to be considered for certain majors. This deadline, along with the 2019-2020 FAFSA deadline, are keeping the average senior busy. The next nine weeks are important to seniors since the first semester grades set the rank for graduation. ACCU’s top ten seniors have consistently ranked top ten at their home schools. This will ensure that those of tomorrow will be great, and that those of the day after or even better. Through inspiration and advocacy the seniors of ACCU will be able to shape, not only their families, but those around them.