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Through the Chicago Early Learning Workforce Scholarship, Charlene Macklin enhanced her skillset in the early learning space at no cost.
Charlene Macklin was raised on the South Side of Chicago and graduated from Dunbar Vocational Career Academy before continuing her education at Tougaloo College, a historically Black college in Mississippi.
Always interested in helping others, she worked as a tutor, mentor, substitute teacher, and preschool teacher. Now, she’s ready to increase her impact in the early childhood education space.
While working as a preschool teacher, Charlene’s supervisor shared a way she could enhance her skillset without spending much of her own money to do it. The opportunity was the Chicago Early Learning Workforce Scholarship, or CELWS.
“When I first learned about the program and got accepted, I was unsure if I could follow through with it. I work full-time and heard all the stories about having to pass the state test by a certain date and how people struggled because the test is difficult. Although I was surprised to pass the test on the first try, I know that I passed because of God’s grace, my teachers, and all the hard work I did,” Charlene said.
Charlene took prerequisite classes at Kennedy-King College, earned her Professional Educators License at UIC, and earned an English as a Second Language endorsement at Truman College. She completed the entire CELWS program with honors.
In August 2024, she was asked to share her journey in front of an audience of more than 150 people, including the mayor of Chicago, at a CELWS recognition ceremony at Truman College.
“Before the program, I would often doubt my abilities,” Charlene said. “At times, I even felt like I was not good enough. That’s when I leaned on my college family of educators and advisors, as well as my family and peers. Today—because of it—I am a teacher who ensures that all my students reach their highest potential. I’m thankful to have received the scholarship because it gave me the tools to shape the next generations of doctors, teachers, leaders, and more. I want everyone to know that this program is impacting my life and our world for the better.”
Charlene plans to continue her studies and one day earn her doctorate degree in education.
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