Chicago Public Schools transition fair at Malcolm X College helps students with disabilities plan for what’s next

Below is an news excerpt, read the full article here: Chicago Public Schools hosts a post-graduate opportunities fair.

Lui Sarinan, 17, skimmed the job description taped to the plastic folding table. SChicago Public Schools hosts a post-graduate opportunities fairhe tucked her pink hair behind her ears, and looked up at the interviewer.

“I’m the best candidate for this job, because I’m able to get all my responsibilities done in a timely manner,” said Sarinan, a senior at Amundsen High School in Lincoln Square. “And I’m very friendly. I wave at everyone who says hi to me.”

Afterward, interviewer Juman Kekhia slid an assessment sheet across the table.

“You were really prepared for all your answers. You killed it,” said Kehkia, a manager at Chicago Public Schools’ Office for Students with Disabilities, or OSD. Sarinan beamed.

The mock interview Friday was part of the district’s annual OSD Transition Fair, a two-day event that connects students with disabilities to post-secondary opportunities. More than 1,300 high schoolers gathered at Malcolm X College on the Near West Side for resume clinics, workshops and City Colleges of Chicago enrollment support.

Pineda hopes to become either a dental hygienist or a radiographer. She’s had a specialized education plan through high school, but staff at City Colleges have made her feel confident that she’ll be supported, she said.

“I could see myself here, like walking past the dental hygienist classes,” Pineda said. “I could see myself here.”