Featured Alumna - March 2021

Amanda Askew '04
My high school years were a very fun time for me. There are a lot of good memories that I have at CCHS. My fondest memory was my time on the cheer team. It was always fun to cheer the football and basketball teams to victory and go to cheer competitions. My favorite classes at CCHS were English, economics, and Spanish. My English class with Ms. Ozinga would always begin with journal writing. That helped me to expand my vocabulary to illustrate my thoughts. Journaling is still a part of my self-care routine even today.  Another one of my favorite classes was my economics class with Mr. Kreykes. He made the study of business exciting, which inspired my college studies. Lastly, I took Spanish classes all four years with Mrs. Veldboom. Learning about a new language was fun for me. My favorite memory is when we took a field trip to a local Mexican restaurant and had to only speak and order in Spanish. That was a fun time that included good food.
Once I graduated high school, I took a trip down south. I studied finance and Spanish at a Historically Black College, Tennessee State University, in Nashville. I joined the cheerleading team, joined student government, and studied abroad in Chile while in college.  After graduating from college, I moved back to Chicago. I worked in banking for several years until I switched careers. I am currently working at a non-profit organization that helps serve underrepresented entrepreneurs with building their small businesses. When I am not serving entrepreneurs, I am also an adjunct professor at a small college where I teach business courses. My current passion project is Brown Girl MBA, which is a blog documenting my journey to obtaining my master’s in business administration.
Chicago Christian High School prepared me for life after high school. It prepared me in the area of my faith and diversity. Since Bible is a part of the curriculum, my knowledge of the Bible is rooted within my decision-making process. God must be at the center of everything you do. You should never make a decision without praying first. Being a minority student in any setting can come with its challenges of being misunderstood. Although you may look different than others, you may share a lot of similarities that you can connect with others on. It is important to be open and available to have those conversations and experiences with others. CCHS provided a unique experience for me to thrive in the world for many years to come.

(You can find Amanda's blog HERE.)
Back