CHA Scholarship Helped Game Design Student Attend College and Strive for His Dreams

Two-thousand dollars may not seem like a lot. But, for DePaul freshman Kelvin Jackson Pore, it was the difference between realizing his dreams and not.

“The CHA Scholarship was the deciding factor in him being able to go to college,” said his mother, Betty S. Pore. “Most of it his tuition was paid, but this was a lifesaver. We were struggling to make it but that $2,000 made it to where he could register for classes. I’m not sure what I would’ve done otherwise. So I’m grateful.”

The same CHA/Springboard to Success (S2S) Scholarship that helped Jackson Pore attend DePaul and major in Game Design is available to current CHA public housing residents or Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) participants who have at least a 2.0 GPA and are high school seniors or college undergraduates. Awards are based on applicants’ academic merit, community involvement and essay content. Applicants must plan to attend an accredited two-or-four-year college or university in the U.S. in the Fall of 2024. CHA’s nonprofit partner, S2S, supports the scholarship.

The deadline for the 2024-25 scholarship application period is May 15.

Now, Kelvin Jackson Pore is on his way. His interest in Game Design was reinforced several years ago as a participant of the summer Graphic & Game Design program at DePaul that is tailored to CHA high school students. An honor student at ITW David Speer Academy high school, Kelvin is also earning his welding degree while attending DePaul.

“One day in high school, my mom said: ‘You’ve got to get a trade – always have a Plan B,’” he said. “Now I’m close to getting my welding certification. And that’s what I plan on doing until I graduate.”

Jackson Pore hopes to eventually own his own Game Design company. He is inspired by his mother, who had to give up college at a young age and was at a time homeless. Now she’s a few semesters away from graduating college herself.

He encourages other young CHA residents to apply for the CHA/S2S Scholarship that helped his mom so much.

“You don’t really lose anything by applying for it,” he said. “You might as well take advantage of it.”

Pore said she is proud of her oldest child who is one of three.

“He’s so easy and laid back - even when he was a baby,” she said. “He doesn’t do drugs, he doesn’t drink. He’s just a responsible kid. I’m so proud of him. I look at us as a team. I set ‘em up, he knocks ‘em down.”

Click here to apply.