By Liz Coffin-KarlinThe Daily Northwestern

Suitcase Party expected to host 20 Chicago high schoolers at its outreach event Monday afternoon, but snowy weather conditions delayed the event by more than an hour and only three students showed up.

The three students came from Broader Urban Involvement and Leadership Development, this year’s Suitcase Party beneficiary. BUILD is a Chicago-based community outreach program that focuses on keeping youth in school and preventing gang recruitment and participation.

But Suitcase Party co-chair Maya Ragavan said she wasn’t disappointed with the turnout.

“We figure that three is better than nothing,” the Weinberg senior said.

The students listened to speakers that included a member of the Dance Marathon executive board and a representative from the Office of Undergraduate Admission. Suitcase Party, which holds a large party in spring whose proceeds benefit BUILD, structured the event to create a student-to-student atmosphere, giving the high schoolers a personalized look into college life.

“It’s huge for us as a community-based organization to have students from secondary institutions helping young people,” said Mathilda de Dios, BUILD education and outreach specialist. “It’s important to increase access to these institutions so they’re not just ivory towers.”

The sessions took place in the basement of Fisk Hall, and the visitors asked questions ranging from NU’s average standardized test scores to whether DM locked dancers into the building during its 30-hour annual event.

De Dios brought the students to NU and helped direct the question-and-answer session. When the discussion turned to financial aid, de Dios emphasized that NU has a need-blind admissions process and promises to meet 100 percent of students’ demonstrated financial need.

“You could wind up paying more for community college than you end up spending here,” de Dios said.

Lindsay Meck, a Communication senior who works in the Office of Undergraduate Admission, emphasized NU’s “all-you-can-eat” style of learning.

“There are more engineers in our marching band than there are music majors,” Meck said.

BUILD brings students to several area colleges, including NU, Columbia College Chicago and Northern Illinois University. As a member of the organization, de Dios said she encourages students to attend college and teaches basic “high school survival skills.”

But getting the Chicago Public School system to excuse the students from classes can be extremely difficult.

“It’s almost the equivalent of breaking them out of prison,” de Dios said.

The school system’s inflexibility criminalizes youth, which she considers the mark of a “failing educational system,” she said.

“If you’re not engaged in school and not recruited to go to (universities), what are you going to do, work a low-wage job?” she said.

All three high school students said they liked the variety of opportunities open to students, especially the ability to take classes within multiple schools.

“I like that you have a lot of options you can choose from,” said Tyesha Johnson, a junior at Steinmetz Academic Center in Chicago.

Suitcase Party then took the students on an informal campus tour, pointing out locations such as The Rock, Norris University Center and Allison Hall.

Taschana Taylor, a junior at North Grand High School, was especially interested in NU’s education program.

Her brother Michael, a sophomore at the high school, said his favorite part of NU was the football team.

“Now that I’ve seen (Northwestern), I want to apply to it more,” Taschana Taylor said.

Reach Liz Coffin-Karlin at [email protected].