IN MEMORIAM: Honoring Donnie Kirksey (D.K.) It’s with great sadness that I write about the loss of Lumity partner and friend Donnie Kirksey. Fondly known as D.K., Donnie was the Dean of Students at Chicago Vocational Career Academy (CVCA). He was the consummate relationship builder, turning his...
A Q& A with Lumity Board Member Fred Thompson Fred Thompson is a Lumity board member and one of our key strategic advisors. We wanted to share our recent conversation with Fred about STEM careers, Chicago, and what we need to think about for 2021. On STEM...
Goal Setting Your Roadmap to Success As part of Lumity’s STEMWorks employment program, Mark Fechner, a certified career professional coach, recently stopped by our virtual classroom to share invaluable advice on goal setting, decision-making, and career choices. Presenting to a cohort of recent Chicagoland high school graduates,...
Maria Benitez on the Lumity Professional Network Maria Benitez is an internal auditor with ten years of experience that cuts across finance, accounting, analytics, and IT systems. She is also the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants who work in a factory in rural Illinois as a...
Karen Manilow on Why She Supports Lumity “Lumity just struck a chord among so many organizations. I like that it is a Chicago-based nonprofit that is really making a difference for students.” — Karen Manilow, Lumity Supporter, STEM Leader & Math Teacher Karen Manilow is one of Lumity’s...
[caption id="attachment_20872" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Madeline Ryder (fourth from left) poses with other volunteers and students from CVCA on a STEM challenge day.[/caption] “My generation is a product of a lot of hard work done by women before us. Be confident in what you do and actively...
In Memoriam Honoring Chetan Phadnis Chetan always said hello. He always remembered a name. He always smiled. He was just a kind soul. These are just a few ways Lumity’s board, staff, volunteers and students will remember our wonderful board member Chetan Phadnis, who passed away this...
Better than Kale: Lumity News that Makes You Feel Good Deon Brown’s dream is to become a chef—and Lumity is helping him achieve it. Deon is a recent graduate of Ombudsman Chicago South, an alternative high school on the southwest side of Chicago. Last summer, he also...
At Pariveda Solutions, our motto is Learn. Coach. Give. It’s exactly why I joined the company six years ago. I’ve always been energized and motivated by helping other people grow their careers, so Pariveda Solution’s motto resonates with who I am. Today, my role is...
We join so many others in mourning the loss of Harold Davis. If you’ve worked with youth in Chicago, then you knew—or at least knew of—Harold. For Lumity, Harold inspired our vision of engaging all students in STEM education and creating pathways to various STEM careers. We were...
