CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, May 31, 2018 — On Friday, May 11th, TRP’s La Casa Student Housing and Resource Center hosted their annual end-of-year celebration for La Casa’s sixth graduating class. This year’s class featured seven students, the majority are first-generation college graduates.

La Casa Student Housing’s innovative model goes beyond providing a place to live — it provides a community environment in the neighborhood where students can receive the support needed to succeed while attending local universities; services include student mentorship, financial coaching, internship opportunities, and more. This comprehensive approach has led to a 94% six-year graduation rate for students in La Casa programs — a rate that significantly exceeds that of their peers.

One of this year’s graduates, Fabian Rangel, transferred to University of Illinois at Chicago two years ago. At that time, he needed an affordable and convenient place to stay and was able to find that at La Casa along with the added wraparound support benefits. Thanks to that opportunity and his own hard work, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering.

“I’m so grateful to La Casa for providing me with an environment where I can study and meet other students like me that are working hard to graduate,” Rangel said. “Thank you to the La Casa staff for helping me take the things I’m learning in class to the next level.”

La Casa Student Housing 2018 Graduates 

Samuel Castro, Bachelor of Science in Neuro-Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago 

Brianna Calvin, Associate of Arts, Harold Washington Community College, headed to University of Illinois at Springfield

Rosemarie Dominguez, Master of Arts in Latin American and Latino Studies, University of Illinois at Chicago

Consuela Hendricks, Bachelor of Arts in Urban Planning, University of Illinois at Chicago

Fabian Rangel, Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago

Alejandra Sanchez, Associate of Arts, Malcolm X Community College, headed to Northeastern University …with a full scholarship (TheDREAM.US Scholarship)

Melanie Vazquez, Bachelor of Science in Marketing, University of Illinois at Chicago