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Worked as a photographer

Worked at SUSANIN'S auction house for 20 years.

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Returned to Harold Washington

Pursuing an associate degree in digital multimedia design.

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Secured an internship

Explored the world of IT at an internship at the University of Chicago.

Jevon Covington doesn’t consider himself to be a “traditional” student—but now that he’s back in school, he wants to continue his education for as long as he can.

This is his second time Jevon has enrolled at Harold Washington College. He pushed pause on his education the first time to take care of his daughter. In the meantime, he found work as a photographer for the well-known auction house in Chicago, SUSANIN’S. He ran their multimedia department for more than 20 years and thought he would retire there. But, like so many others, the pandemic changed his trajectory. Jevon decided to finish what he started at Harold Washington. He enrolled at the college for a second time in the spring of 2022.

“I felt like it was time to do what I wanted in life instead of taking what comes along,” Jevon said.

Returning to college was a bit of an adjustment for Jevon, but he buckled down and quickly got used to school again. Jevon is currently pursuing his associate degree in digital multimedia design and is enjoying learning. He’s also taking time to discover new passions. With the help of Harold Washington’s Career Center, Jevon secured an internship in the IT department at the University of Chicago.

“It’s probably one of my greatest experiences, being my first-ever internship,” he explained. “I am learning new things and getting a serious feel of the professional working world. The IT work I am seeing has given me a better understanding of what I need to absorb during school, too.”

IT has always been a side interest for Jevon. He feels tech and digital multimedia design go hand in hand and the new skills will benefit him in the future. Through his summer internship, Jevon created instructional videos for the University’s campus that were showcased online. And every Friday, the interns listened to speakers talk about how they landed their first role and navigated the tech industry.

“Coming back to school this year, I feel like I leveled up,” Jevon said. “I didn’t know all the things about IT that I know now. It’s going to shape how I move forward with my goals.”

Jevon has sacrificed a lot to be a full-time student, but he always keeps his end goal of getting a degree in the forefront of his mind.

“This is one of the most important things that’s ever happened to me,” he said. “I’m trying to build a new path for myself and stay on it.”

Jevon is working to secure another internship this year and one for next summer. After graduating from Harold Washington, he promised himself he would stay in school until he earned his bachelor’s degree. He wants to transfer to Columbia College Chicago and study illustration or design. From there, he wants to work in a visual production environment focused on video or multimedia design.

Jevon is also not ruling out the possibility of one day teaching at Harold Washington, a place that has given him so much and opened doors for him he’d never dreamed of.

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