Alignment

Nancy Coleman Awarded YWCA Leadership Award in Education

May 9, 2025

Nancy Coleman accepts 2025 YWCA Leadership Award in Education

Alignment is thrilled to announce that our Executive Director, Nancy Coleman, was selected for this year’s Leadership Award in Education at the YWCA Leader Luncheon held May 8th. This YWCA event honors extraordinary women for their remarkable achievements and raises vital funds to support the YWCA Elgin’s impactful programs.

Nancy’s nomination included input from community leaders and educators across the region and highlighted her unwavering commitment to student success and workforce readiness.

Congratulations to Nancy and all of the 2025 nominees!

Nancy Coleman with Certificate of Nomination — Nancy Coleman accepts Nomination Certificate from Felicia King, YWCA Elgin CEO, and Diane Alfaro, Board Vice-Chair

Congratulations to the 2025 YWCA Leadership Awardees!

Alignment and Northern Kane County Region 110 Job Fair Attracts Students Across the Region

April 30, 2025

More than 550 students from eleven high schools across School Districts U-46, 300, 301, and 303 attended the annual Regional Job Fair sponsored by Alignment and Northern Kane County Region 110 hosted at Elgin Community College. The students had the opportunity to connect with 74 businesses and community organizations representing a wide range of industries, including automotive, business, culinary, education, energy, financial services, healthcare, IT, and manufacturing. Thanks to resume workshops held beforehand, many students arrived prepared with resumes to share with potential employers. This year’s fair also featured 18 organizations offering summer employment, allowing students to complete job applications on the spot.

Elgin Township
First Mid Bank & Trust
Grand Victoria Foundation
Hampton, Lenzini and Renwick, Inc.
Hoffer Family and Foundation
David and Sandy Kaptain
KCT Credit Union
Nicor

Rosati’s Pizza
Saint Joseph Hospital
Seigle Foundation
Peter Sikorski Family
United Way Metro Chicago
Village of Hanover Park
Wintrust
Wolko Design Group

Thank you to our Exhibitors

Advanced Compressors
AHW
Altorfer CAT
Association for Individual Development
A-TEC Ambulance
AVID CNA School
Black Diamond Plumbing & Mechanical
Bob Loquercio Auto Group
Boys and Girls Clubs of Elgin
Boys and Girls Clubs of the Northwest Suburbs
Bria of Geneva Nursing and Rehabilitation
Bucher Hydraulics
Business and Career Services, Inc.
City of Elgin
COLLARS
Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Northern Illinois
Convergint
Cosmetology and Spa Academy
Culvers
Custom Aluminum Products
D301 Facilities/Building and Grounds
D301 Food Service
D301 Human Resources
Dundee Township Park District
Durham School Services
Edward Jones Financial Advisor

Elgin Community College – Apprenticeship Program
Elgin Community College – Culinary Department
Elgin Community College – Dental Assisting Program
Elgin Community College – Phlebotomy Program
Elgin Community College – Talent Search
Elgin Community College – Welding
Elgin Community College – WIOA program
Elgin Industries
Elgin Neighborhood Network Mental Health Initiative
Elgin Sweeper
Gail Borden Public Library
GCAMP, Greater Chicago Advanced Manufacturing Partnership
General Kinematics
Golden Corridor Family YMCA
Highland Oaks of Elgin
Hoffer Plastics
IL Secretary of State – Department of Personnel
John B. Sanfilippo & Son (Fisher Nuts)
Judson University
Keller Williams Success Realty
LifeLine Ambulance

Lincoln College of Technology
LyondellBasell
MKD Electric
NICOR
Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association
Official Finders
Old Second National Bank
Opiquad, LLC
Organic Life Smart Food Service
Pace Suburban Bus
Prime Healthcare: Saint Joseph Hospital Elgin
ProDriven Global Brands
Rosati’s Pizza
Santa’s Village
Streamwood Behavioral Healthcare System
Streamwood Park District
Target
Truck Country
U-46 Human Resources
U-46 Plant Operations
Universal Technical Institute
Village of Hanover Park
VNA Health Care
West Dundee Fire Department
Wintrust / Elgin State Bank
workNet Batavia
Young Rembrandts

Hanover Township Recognition

April 15, 2025

On Saturday, April 12, Hanover Township hosted its annual Supervisor’s Community Service Award Breakfast. The Alignment Collaborative for Education was awarded Outstanding Organization of the Year nominated by the Streamwood Park District.

We extend our sincere thanks to Jeff Janda, Executive Director of the Streamwood Park District, for the nomination, Brian McGuire, Hanover Township Supervisor, and the Hanover Township trustees for this recognition. Alignment was proud to be among several outstanding organizations recognized for its impact and dedication to Hanover Township and the communities it serves.

Sophomore and Junior Postsecondary Day reaches over 4,200 students!

March 11, 2025

More than 25 universities, colleges, and organizations joined Alignment and School District U-46 for the Sophomore and Junior Postsecondary Virtual Day on March 4. Reaching the largest number of students to date, 4,238 individual students attended the event with university and college admissions staff and visiting faculty. Students received information about FAFSA, learned about program admission and apprenticeships at Elgin Community College, and also had the opportunity to learn about corporate-based apprenticeships from Zurich Insurance. Students received advice from U-46 alumni now in college, learned about military service, along with student athletes receiving assistance in NCAA eligibility.

Thank you to the following colleges, universities, and organizations for partnering with Alignment and U-46 to offer the Sophomore and Junior Postsecondary Day:

Aurora University 
Bradley University
DePaul University 
Elgin Community College 
Elmhurst University
Grand Valley State University
 Harper College 
Honest Game – NCAA Academic Eligibility
 Illinois State University
 Judson University
Lincoln College of Technology 
Loyola University 
Marquette University
North Central College

Northern Illinois University
Purdue University 
Southern Illinois University 
Universal Technical Institute
 University of Dayton 
University of Illinois Chicago 
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
 University of Iowa
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
University of Wisconsin Whitewater 
U.S. Armed Forces 
Western Illinois University
Xavier University
Zurich Insurance

Thank you to all the volunteers from these organizations who made this event a huge success, as well as to our Alignment partners from the U-46 Postsecondary Success Team, Elgin Community College, and Northern Kane County Region 110, who facilitated 32 different sessions for students.

Alignment Partners Recognized for Contributions to Our Schools, Community, and the State

February 20, 2025

Business Partner of the Year

Alignment Collaborative for Education was named Business Partner of the Year by School District U-46 as part of the Elgin Area Chamber Annual Meeting. Alignment and U-46 partnering together provided career education and work-based learning opportunities to approximately 10,000 students in U-46’s eight middle schools and five high schools. Alignment staff accept the award from U-46, joined by partner representatives from Elgin Community College, First Mid Bank & Trust, KCT Credit Union, and Nicor Gas.

IACTE Administrator of the Year

Terry Stroh, EFE Director, Northern Kane County Region 110 was named Administrator of the Year by the Illinois Association of Career and Technical Education (IACTE). This award each year recognizes the individual that leads efforts and partnerships that deliver innovative, unique, and effective career and technical education programs across the State of Illinois.

IACTE Teacher of the Year

Matt Erbach, Precision Manufacturing Teacher, South Elgin High School, was named Teacher of the Year by the Illinois Association of Career and Technical Education (IACTE). This award each year recognizes the individual that has demonstrated innovative learning opportunities for students that promote dedication and improvement in how career and technical education programs are designed and delivered in our schools, communities, and the state.

Seniors Share How Internships Change Trajectory of Life After High School

February 5, 2025

Alignment, Northern Kane County Region 110, and ECC Celebrate Industry Host Partners

Partnering with Northern Kane County Region 110 and Elgin Community College, Alignment hosted its first Internship Recognition Breakfast for all organizations hosting summer interns in 2024. More than 100 guests attended the event at ECC with 41 organizations honored for hosting the 146 students that participated in the program during 2024. The event also attracted more than a dozen organizations interested in learning how they might become an internship host site in 2025.

Six student interns from Central, Dundee Crown, Hampshire, Larkin, and Streamwood high schools shared how their internship experiences shaped their future career plans as they prepare to graduate in May. Industry representatives from Advocate Sherman Hospital, Bartlett Police Department, Bob Loquercio Auto Group, Elgin State Bank, Hampton, Lenzini and Renwick, Inc., Hoffer Plastics, and West Side Tractor discussed their internship model with prospective companies describing how their organizations designed the internship opportunity to meet the minimum 60 hour requirement for students to receive academic credit combined with students being paid for those hours.

Gina De rosier Cook, Dean of Workforce Development and Continuing Education at Elgin Community College, announced a second year of Take Back the Trades grant funding to sponsor 75 high school students this year, a 50% increase from 2024 along with funding provided by corporate partners, municipalities, the United Way Elgin Neighborhood Network, Elgin Township, the Seigle Foundation and investments by School Districts U-46, 300, 301, and recently committed St. Charles Community Unit School District 303. Terry Stroh, Director, Northern Kane County Region 110, predicts that with this funding base and the support of the business community, 200 students could be placed throughout the region’s industry sectors to include automotive, business, culinary, engineering, financial services, health care, heavy equipment, manufacturing, municipal services, and welding.

Alignment and Northern Kane County Region 110 are working to identify all internship opportunities with completed position descriptions by March 3, 2025 opening the application process to 11 high schools by March 10, 2025. If your organization is interested in offering internships for Summer 2025, please contact Nancy Coleman at colemanace@align4edu.org or Terry Stroh at terry.stroh@central301.net for further information.

For highlights of the Breakfast, please see Rick West’s Daily Herald article ‘We really are changing lives’: Internship program helps students make post-high school plans