POLITICS FASHION
PAULA FRIEDRICH AND BILL HEALY
Modeling for Success
BRIDGET VAUGHN
A fashion runway program empowers students to pursue their dreams BY BRIDGET VAUGHN
I
n the summer of 2018, my friend Lovetta Spencer invited me to attend a fashion show at Dearborn Denim and Apparel in Hyde Park. Her son Zion, a recent graduate of South Shore International High School, had been selected to receive a scholarship at the fashion show. And there, I met Stanley Coleman Jr. A native Hyde Parker, Coleman graduated from Kenwood High School and has a business degree in management and broadcast journalism from Columbia College. After graduation, he worked for the Chicago Sky, and then in South Shore politics. A former teacher and program
coordinator at South Shore International High School, he founded SCJR Productions two years ago as a way to help high school students learn something new, engage with others out of school, and receive financial assistance toward college “As future leaders of tomorrow, we encourage our students to become proactive in seeking solutions in the face of adversity,” Coleman writes on the SCJR website. “With out-of-town tuition costs and college loan interest rates skyrocketing, even the smallest contribution toward a student's college expenses helps with necessities such as boarding, books, and school supplies.”
SCJR’s popular Fashion/Modeling 101 program was created in response to an afterschool activity survey, which showed that students wanted activities that fostered courage, confidence, and self-esteem and helped them reach their dreams in college and beyond. Coleman secures scholarship support for his troupe by tapping into his network for donations and seeking out organizations that support his mission. The financial assistance helps motivate students to do well in school as well as on the runway. At the October 2019 fashion show, two students received $1,250 in scholarships. In an earlier show, one student received
combined scholarships totaling more than $5,000. In the past two years, Coleman has given out close to forty scholarships and over one hundred students have participated in the runway program. He treats the models with respect and takes pride in their choices. The students learn life skills, including poise, confidence, the business side of fashion, being responsible on social media, booking shows, and how to safely navigate the fashion world. Students will have these skills for the rest of their lives, whether or not they end up pursuing careers in fashion. Coleman lives a few blocks from the
FEBRUARY 5, 2020 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 11
