Waukegan to College Gets New Director of Development and Community Engagement

Elizabeth J. Fales has joined Waukegan to College as Director of Development and Community Engagement. Waukegan to College is a growing non-profit organization that serves the Waukegan community by assisting and preparing first-generation students to enter and complete four-year college programs. Before joining Waukegan to College, Ms. Fales, a resident of Lindenhurst, worked in development, outreach and fundraising for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Lake County, in Vernon Hills, and the Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center, in Gurnee, as well as for other social service organizations in Illinois and Missouri. She has a B.A. from Michigan State University and an M.A. from Loyola University Chicago.

"At Waukegan to College, our work uplifts students in a city that has experienced large shifts in demographics and economic losses for its families," said Ms. Fales. "The area schools do not have the resources to assist students with the challenging and nuanced path to college. At Waukegan to College, students and their families find the motivation, support and resources they need to reach higher and succeed to high school graduation and through college."

"The organization's track record is impressive," continued Ms. Fales. "Since Waukegan to College started only 13 years ago, over 400 students have participated in comprehensive educational programming at Waukegan to College and almost 70 students have graduated from a variety of different colleges and universities across the country, including the University of Illinois, Stanford, Lake Forest College, Tufts, Duke, Knox and many more."

Anyone interested in participating in Waukegan to College programs, as a student or as a volunteer, please contact Liz Fales at liz.fales@waukegantocollege.org or call (224)540-7356.