Paying It Forward: Former PEAK Scholar Joins Governing Board

Congratulations to Jerry Silva, who became the first PEAK graduate to join PEAK's Governing Board this fall.

Jerry became the face of PEAK last year thanks to a Sun Times article highlighting Jerry's transition from mentee to mentor. Jerry and his scholar, PEAK junior Rafael Garduno, share in common a love of baseball, a childhood on Chicago’s Southwest Side, and, like all PEAK scholars, struggles that held them back academically before entering high school at Holy Trinity. “PEAK gave me a lot of direction at an early point when I really needed it,” explained Jerry.

Of joining the Board, Jerry said, "My PEAK mentor, John Malloy, is one of the most selfless people I have ever met, so the biggest reason for me to join was to pay it forward, to have an impact on the lives of young people."

Jerry has been guiding young lives ever since his graduation from Chicago State University in 2016, currently as Youth Program Manager at Gads Hill Center. The PEAK Board will benefit from Jerry’s experience working with teens, his background in program evaluation and design, and his first-hand knowledge of PEAK’s long-term impact on the lives of its graduates.

Thank you Jerry for inspiring us all and for blazing such a strong trail for the next generation of PEAK graduates!