Preaching the economic gospel to inner-city kids
Teaching minority high school students about business is more than a job for Allen Shelton. It's a calling.
He worked as an economist for New York City during the 1980s, before entering a seminary. Now, as part of that calling, he’s teaching Chicago public high school students about the workings of the economy and e-commerce.
The E-conomics Academy program started last year with 22 students. Enrollment this year has grown to 63 predominantly Latino and African-American students.
“I felt being an economist was not as fulfilling for me, and I felt I needed to be involved in bringing my understanding of economics to the community,” says Mr. Shelton, 40, a minister in the Presbyterian Church USA. “I decided to bring the two worlds together.”
Born in Chicago, Mr. Shelton headed east to study economics at Columbia University in New York, getting his degree in 1983. After finishing his stint with the city of New York, he entered Princeton Seminary in New Jersey and subsequently transferred to Chicago’s McCormick Seminary.
He taught economics in Chicago high schools from 1991 to 1995 and was disturbed by students’ lack of understanding of the business world.
“I have found a lot of kids in the Chicago public schools were lacking in necessary understanding of the free market and of e-commerce and the Internet and the role it’s playing in business,” he says.
The academy is Mr. Shelton’s way of trying to address that problem and, ultimately, expand minority presence in leadership roles in business and finance.
Sponsored by Kenilworth Union Church and working with partners such as the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, Mr. Shelton teaches students about the economy and preparing business plans.
The program also draws speakers from the Chicago Fed as well from the local business community. One of the latter is Arthur Velasquez, CEO of Chicago’s Azteca Foods.
Mr. Velasquez, who grew up in the inner city, says he has been “in the students’ shoes.” The academy, he says, “seems to be on the money in terms of the curriculum and giving students exposure to entrepreneurship.”
About 10 University of Chicago business students work as teaching assistants at the academy. Alison Pease, who oversees the assistants, says the “mission from God” nature of Mr. Shelton’s work is evident in the classroom.
“His enthusiasm really comes across,” she says.
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