Flames Leadership Network’s coaching serves students in college

Valeria Silva (right) meets with Felix Castillo, her Flames Leadership Network Coach. (Photo: Jenny Fontaine/UIC)

Valeria Silva will graduate from UIC this year and is looking forward to earning her master's degree in psychology.

Another student, Steven Zuniga, has a job waiting for him at a top accounting firm in the city after he graduates in May.

Third-year computer science major Oluwatimisire Lawal is considering attending graduate school after he graduates.

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What the three students have in common is that they are part of UIC's Flames Leadership Network, or FLN, which pairs students with coaches during their first year.

"It made me feel really comfortable coming in and just feel like I was part of UIC," Silva said.

Since its inception eight years ago, 4,000 UIC students have been part of the nationally recognized program. Beginning with 77 students, the program now selects 500 students each year, said Nikos Varelas, senior vice provost for academic programs, student success and effectiveness.

The program, in UIC's Academic Center for Excellence, has a staff of four full-time coaches who have experience working with young adults in nonprofit organizations, high schools and colleges. It was designed to provide holistic support for incoming first-year students and promote their academic success.

"High-quality coaching is at the center of the program, providing students with a guiding hand to help them maximize their potential and reach their goals," said Varelas.

Students receive a $300 per-semester stipend in their first year to use at their discretion. In exchange, students must meet regularly with their coach and participate in monthly workshops on academic skills, time management and test-taking. Additionally, they participate in career and community-building events.

Oluwatimisire Lawal speaks to a fellow student as a peer success coach. Steven Zuniga, a peer success coach, meets with
a student.

Photos: Jenny Fontaine/UIC

Crucial first year

A student's success in navigating their first year of college is a strong indicator of whether they will ultimately graduate, said Aisha El-Amin, executive associate vice provost for student success and belonging.

Students in the Flames Leadership Network recognize the value of having a coach to guide them in their first year, El-Amin said. Half of UIC students who don't graduate leave the university between their first and second years, she said.

"We know that out in the world, people pay lots of money to have a life coach or a career coach," said El-Amin. "These coaches are essentially their college life coaches."

Zuniga, a fourth-year accounting student who is the first in his family to attend college, said he learned about the program the summer before his first year at UIC. Having a coach help him directly was important in allowing him to envision himself succeeding at UIC.

"It influenced my decision to stay at UIC," he said.

Program accolades

The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities recognized UIC as one of six finalists for the inaugural 2025 Excellence in Student Success Award, honoring the university's efforts to enhance student achievement through innovative programs such as the Flames Leadership Network.

But even before that, the Flames Leadership Network was gathering accolades: in 2022 as a Program to Watch by Excelencia in Education, a national organization to accelerate Latino student success in higher education, and as a winner of the 2020 John N. Gardner Institutional Excellence for Students in Transition Awardfrom the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.

Valeria Silva Oluwatimisire Lawal Steven Zuniga

Photos: Jenny Fontaine/UIC

Staying connected

Throughout the students' first year, coaches stay connected with students. Students are recruited to the Flames Leadership Network after they have been accepted to UIC and have submitted their letter of intent to enroll.

Nearly 90% of the students are first-generation college students, and 83% are recipients of the Pell Grant.

Lawal, a third-year computer science student from Normal, Illinois, said lessons he took from his coach allowed him to develop better organizational skills, which he has continued to apply throughout his academic career.

"This definitely helped me navigate through the independent portions of college," said Lawal. "I had to figure out my own schedule and how to work around stuff."

Although the coaches are primarily intended to guide students in their first year, the connection often extends past that. Lawal, who works as a peer success coach in the program, still meets with his coach, Megan Boss, on an informal basis.

"I don't necessarily need to reach out to them all the time, but when I do need to, they're there. And that is very comforting to know," said Lawal.

Silva, a fourth-year student in applied psychology, also serves as a peer success coach in the program. She made a point of constantly checking in with her coach, Felix Castillo, during her first year. But even now, she maintains that relationship with Castillo and with others she met in the program.

"I've been able to hold close relationships with all of them, and it's something I'm going to take away with me when I leave UIC," said Silva.