
The Learning Edge Board is pleased to announce its newest member, John Lurain. Following in the footsteps of his late wife, Nell Lurain, John says it’s an honor to be a board member. John is an active member at First United, where Learning Edge Tutoring meets on Thursday.
John’s wife, Nell, started tutoring in the program over 20 years ago. “She is a role model for me. I saw her tutor two siblings beginning in grade school and all the way through high school,” John says. Both students went on to have successful college experiences at the HBCUs Tuskegee and Howard.
Because of time constraints in John’s career as a Professor and Director of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at Northwestern University’s Lurie Cancer Center and Northwestern Medicine’s Prentice Women’s Hospital, he did not join the tutoring program until he retired four years ago. So far, John has tutored two middle school boys.
“Nell and I had always been involved in teaching as academic professors at university medical schools. Education was always one of our top priorities,” John explains. “We had both grown up in households of teachers, and we saw firsthand the value and joy of learning. We felt that we could make an impact on a young person’s education through the one-on-one tutoring program provided by Learning Edge. I firmly believe that one person can make a difference.”
Nell was on the Learning Edge Board (when it was Cluster Tutoring) for many years before she passed away in 2021. “I saw her commitment to the goals of the program and its growth over that time,” says John.
As a board member for Learning Edge, John hopes to bring a new perspective and contribute to the program’s continued growth and success. “I am especially interested in the recruitment of new tutors who will serve as both educators and role models for students in the program,” he says. John anticipates that participation in the Learning Edge Board will also be a learning experience for him.
“Education is one of the most important things that empowers young people to succeed in life,” John says. “Tutoring programs like Learning Edge provide a personalized approach to learning that is not as often available in the usual classroom experience. These programs can help students who need additional instruction to succeed in school and can show them the fun of learning, which will hopefully inspire a life-long quest for knowledge.”
Learning Edge can mentor young people who live in some of the most challenging neighborhoods in the Chicago area, John believes. “We not only offer tutoring, but hopefully, also inspire youth faced with systemic obstacles to learning, such as race, poverty, and crime, to achieve positive futures.”