Waukegan 2 College

Aaron Arnold is the Executive Director and Liz Fales is the Director of Development & Community Engagement of Waukegan 2 College (W2C).

W2C began in response to an urgent plea from the Waukegan community: “I don’t want my son to be stuck doing landscaping or my daughter working long, hard hours cleaning hotel rooms because they didn't go to college.”

These Waukegan parents knew they had neither the experience nor expertise to guide their first-generation college bound children on the pathway to college graduation. The school system was equally inadequate to meet their needs.

W2C formed in 2009 as a result of a series of listening sessions in Waukegan churches and other local institutions. The sessions — sponsored by Lake County United — highlighted a universal need and urgent priority to help their sons and daughters get to and through college graduation.

From its 2009 launch with 25 students and one staff member, W2C has grown to 170 scholars, a full-time staff of seven, and 100+ volunteers who work as board members, tutors, and mentors.

Host: Randy Daniel