The Launch gives you the practical, intellectual, and moral foundation to be a man of character. Through a combination of seminars, one-on-one mentoring, and career presentations by successful professionals, it helps you develop the skills and habits necessary to be effective in college and later on as a father, a professional, and a friend.
Please note: All Launch seminars for the 2020-21 academic year will be offered in-person (with a remote option), however, to allow for more social distancing and to better accommodate remote participants, they will take place at Northridge Preparatory School (8320 Ballard Rd, Niles, IL 60714). Click here for more information about Sauganash’s COVID guidelines.
About
It encourages them to start developing now the skills and attitudes they will need for future life challenges:
Professional work
Friendship with family, colleagues, neighbors, and God
Marriage and fatherhood
Responsible citizenship.
Through a combination of classes, career presentations, and one-on-one mentoring, it teaches them to be men of character who are ready for responsibility.
Seminars
The Launch gives you the practical, intellectual, and moral foundation to be a man of character. Through a combination of seminars, one-on-one mentoring, and career presentations by successful professionals, it helps you develop the skills and habits necessary to be effective in college and later on as a father, a professional, and a friend.
From day one of freshman year, you make decisions, sometimes without realizing it, that will affect where you go to college, what kind of job you’ll have, and even who your wife will be. This seminar will help you navigate those decisions and make the choices that will help shape you into the man you want to become.
The Professional Seminar (Sophomores)
The College Application & Beyond Seminar (Juniors)
In the not too distant future, other people – at work, among your friends, in your family – will be depending on you for guidance. Your ability to lead them well will depend to a large extent on whether you live a reflective life yourself, allowing you to grasp why certain things are true, not just blindly accepting what everyone else says. This seminar gives you a framework to tackle fundamental intellectual questions which you will encounter in college and professional life.
Mentoring & Parents
What is mentoring?: Each participant is assigned a mentor who meets individually with him once a month. Mentors help participants to apply the principles covered in each seminar to their everyday lives through practical and measurable monthly goals. Mentors focus on guiding participants to greater self-knowledge and challenging them to form the habits that will define their character. Mentoring sessions last about 30 minutes and take place at Sauganash Study Center.
Parents are the protagonists. The work we do at Sauganash only complements the immeasurable efforts of parents to raise their sons as men of character. Consequently, the mentors at Sauganash can accomplish more the more closely they can work with the parents of each student to address their son’s particular needs. In addition to meeting with each student every month, mentors are regularly available to meet with their mentees’ parents at Sauganash Study Center to discuss how Sauganash can best serve them and their son. For meetings to be most effective, we ask that both parents be present for any scheduled meeting with a mentor.
Schedule a meeting with your son’s mentor below.
Edwin Carbajal
ecarbajal@northridgeprep.org
646-403-5845
Work Experience: Northridge Preparatory School, National Institute of Health
Education: BA, Biology, Princeton University; MSBS, Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Schedule a mentoring session with Edwin
jreckart@sauganashcenter.org
520-784-8760
Work Experience: Sauganash Study Center, Vista Equity Partners
Education: BA, Economics, Stanford University; MS, Financial Economics, Columbia Business School
Schedule a mentoring session with Justin
Pat Healy
Junior Program Director
patriciohealy@gmail.com
619-947-0898
Work Experience: Northridge Preparatory School, Moody’s Corporation
Education: BA, Economics & Finance, University of Dallas
Schedule a mentoring session with Pat
Swkirwan@gmail.com
630-301-2219
Work Experience: GeoServices Inc., UIUC Research Assistant
Education: BA & MS, Civil Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Schedule a mentoring session with Sean
vrinaolo@gmail.com
224-436-6539
Work Experience: NuMat Technologies, Northridge Preparatory School, South Bronx Educational Foundation
Education: BS & MS, Chemistry, Northwestern University
Schedule a mentoring session with Vince
3:45 – 5:15 Study Session
5:15 – 6:00 Dinner
6:00 – 7:00 Seminar
This year, Sauganash will provide individually packaged catered dinners for those interested. Participants are also welcome to bring their own packed dinners.
The Big Picture Seminar (Thursdays)
| September 17 | Making the Most of High School |
| October 8 | Character & Maturity |
| October 22 | Self-Knowledge |
| November 5 | Time Management |
| November 19 | What Colleges are Looking For |
| December 3 | Being a Man of Culture |
| January 14 | Study Habits |
| January 21 | Extracurricular Activities |
| February 4 | Productive Use of Summer |
| February 18 | A Life of Service |
| March 4 | Never Quitting |
| March 18 | Self-Mastery |
| April 15 | Deep Friendship |
| April 22 | Treating Women with Respect |
| May 6 | True Manliness |
| May 20 | Freedom & Happiness |
The Professional Seminar (Thursdays)
| September 17 | Which Career is for You? |
| October 8 | Discovering a Career in the Pharmaceutical Industry |
| November 19 | Let’s Make a Deal: Learning Business |
| January 21 | Planning for a Productive Summer |
| February 18 | A Career in Software Development |
| March 18 | A Walk Down Wall Street: Working in Finance |
| April 15 | Exploring the Law |
| April 22 | Understanding the Medical Profession |
| May 6 | Making Things Work: Engineering |
The Professional Seminar (Tuesdays)
| September 22 | Choosing a Major I |
| October 20 | Choosing a Major II |
| November 17 | Choosing a Major III |
| December 1 | Managing the College Application Process |
| February 2 | Planning For a Productive Summer |
| February 16 | The Art of the Resume I |
| March 2 | The Art of the Resume II |
| March 16 | Learning to Interview |
| April 13 | Mock Interviews |
Filling in the Gaps (Tuesdays)
| September 22 | Relativism: What is Truth? |
| October 20 | Morality & Conscience |
| November 17 | Sexuality & Identity |
| December 1 | Bioethics in the 21st Century |
| January 26 | Soul & Spirit: Do They Matter? |
| February 16 | Creation & Evolution: Where Do We Come From? |
| March 16 | Authority & Freedom: Can We Have Both? |
| April 13 | Marriage & Society |
| May 11 | Reliability of Scripture |
Cost & Registration
Freshman Seminar: $450
Sophomore, Junior, and Senior Seminars: $350
Pay online here.
Financial considerations should not prevent anyone from attending. Scholarships may be requested. For more information, please contact Justin Reckart at jreckart@sauganashcenter.org or 773-283-1099.