Building Healthy & Happy Cities

This past week, students in the Future Leaders Mentorship Program met an example of what it looks like to grow up in Chicago, move away for higher education, and come back to inspire the next generation. Sammy Durojaiye, a Process Consultant at Health Care Service Corporation, joined our mentees to tell her story about growing up inChicago attending Hawthorne Scholastic Academy and Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, before moving to attend Ohio State University where she studied Public Health and Sociology. 

One of Sammy’s most memorable moments as a Chicago high school student? Meeting former First Lady Michelle Obama. From that moment she learned that there is opportunity everywhere and it begins with speaking up, even in moments of fear. One of the quotes Sammy says lives by is: “You’ll never feel ready because ready isn’t a feeling, ready is a decision.” 

During her session, Sammy helped our mentees become mini public health and sociology experts, teaching them the key to keeping communities safe by understanding how we live together. She led a hands-on activity called “Build a Healthy & Happy City,” where students worked in teams to design communities where every child could thrive. Their cities included parks, clinics, fresh food access, and safe, connected neighborhoods; all thoughtfully planned with their mentors.

The girls collectively made thoughtful decisions and organized their “Healthy & Happy City” just as future leaders would. It was a powerful reminder that leadership starts with ideas, and teamwork turns those ideas into impact 

We are deeply grateful to Sammy for speaking to the students and for challenging them to use their voice to enact good within our communities!