ENGLEWOOD — Lindblom Math & Science Academy graduate Devin Montgomery will head to Dartmouth College in the fall to pursue a mechanical and electrical engineering degree.
“At this point, I am definitely nervous,” he said. “It’s a big transition. I have some high standards going in, and people expect a lot from me, but I’m really excited about it.”
The Ivy League-bound student said that his time at his top-ranked Englewood school prepared him for the next chapter. Devin has been so successful that his achievements in and outside the classroom have earned him statewide recognition. Nonprofit “Back 2 School Illinois” awarded him a $2,500 scholarship at the organization’s annual fundraising dinner earlier this month. He was one of five recipients.
The organization also operates the largest free school supplies program in the state.
Back 2 School Illinois CEO Matthew Kurtzman said the 17-year-old Austin resident was chosen primarily because of his involvement in mentoring and community projects.
“One of the things that jumped out to me is that he is a mentor, [and] something like that, in my mind, makes him stand apart, he said.
Devin has an impressive resume, Kurtzman said. He served as an engineering program mentor at his school, leading presentations and helping first-year students with homework. Devin also attended a three-year summer program in Andover, Mass., called (MS)^2 where he participated in math and science activities.
“That experience was the most transformative experience I’ve ever had so far,” he said. “It was like having college in high school. It was such a transformation from going to school in Englewood and growing up in Chicago all my life, to then seeing that entire campus and everything that it had to offer.”
One project Devin said he’s most proud of is a community garden he helped design and build for Englewood residents.
His instructor, Lawrence Bass, introduced his second- and third-year students to the community garden project at the beginning of the 2014-2015 academic year.
Bass formed the Global Design Initiatives Colloquium so that his engineering students could help expand the existing Hermitage Street Community Gardens, which are overseen by Cordia Pugh, an Englewood resident. She started the community garden in 2011.
Devin said his time working on the project was “rewarding because it’s more than, 'we just did this big engineering project,'” he said. "People walk by, look at that garden and they appreciate everything we did."
While he recognizes the stigma Englewood has, he said the community has a lot of positive attributes.
“Englewood has a bad reputation, crime does happen there, but participating in this project shows that this neighborhood can be more than just crime and everything that comes with it,” Devin said. “I feel like every time I hear a story about Englewood — it’s just like if only people knew how much greatness is really coming out of this community.”
He plans to put the skills he's honed at Lindblom to use in college.
“I get to take on my own endeavors and actually do my own engineering projects, like help people,” he said.
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