If you’re looking for proof that people can return home and change lives in the very hallways where they once walked, look no further than Lorenzo Pugh.

A proud Galesburg High School Class of 1999 graduate, Lorenzo is now serving in a role tailor-made for the kind of person he’s become: a connector, encourager, and strategist for students who need a hand before they fall too far behind.

As the district’s lead for the Alternative Learning Opportunities Program (ALOP), Lorenzo works exclusively with freshmen who are struggling with core academic classes, attendance, or behavioral issues. The goal is simple but urgent: get them back on track before it's too late.

“Freshman year sets the tone,” Lorenzo says. “If they fail one or two core classes early, graduation becomes an uphill battle. So we step in early.”

ALOP is a state-funded initiative delivered through the Regional Office of Education (ROE 33), and Galesburg’s version is housed right inside the high school. That proximity matters—it means students don’t have to be pulled from their natural routines to receive support. They stay part of the school, their peer group, their rhythm. But they get targeted help with attendance, academics, behavior, and social-emotional growth.

Lorenzo works with about 35 students. Some are athletes. Some are introverts. Some are honors-track students who hit a bump. Others carry burdens too heavy for their age—poverty, trauma, family instability. All of them, Lorenzo says, are worth the investment.

“When they first come in, I don’t throw a syllabus at them,” he says. “I sit down. I say, ‘Tell me your story.’ No pressure, no judgment—just connection.”

That relational foundation is everything.

“I can’t help a kid unless they trust me,” he says. “And a lot of them have had their trust broken before—by adults, by systems, by life.”

So he starts small. A safe space. A check-in. A conversation. And then slowly, the shift begins. “Most of them know they’re behind,” he says. “They just don’t know how to fix it. They need someone to believe in them—and then help build a plan.”

That’s what Lorenzo does. He builds plans. He leads journaling exercises and reflection prompts. He helps them learn conflict resolution, breathing techniques, and goal setting. He shows them how to show up—for themselves.

It’s a natural progression from the 20 years he spent working in truancy intervention, often with older students or those with chronic disengagement. ALOP is different. “These kids aren’t lost,” he says. “They’re just slipping. And we can catch them.”

The path to this work wasn’t linear. After earning a business degree from Monmouth College, Lorenzo worked in a factory until his grandmother-in-law, then a regional superintendent, encouraged him to interview for a role in education. “I said no at first,” he laughs. “But I’m glad I changed my mind.”

He’s now a dad to three young boys, raising his family in the same community that raised him. “Galesburg’s got everything you need,” he says. “Great location, great people, and this deep sense of resilience.”

Ask him what keeps him going, and he’ll tell you it’s the look on a student’s face when they realize they’re not doomed to fail. “I’ve had kids come in who thought they didn’t belong anywhere,” he says. “By the end of the year, they’re leading conversations. They’re passing classes. They’re walking taller.”

And when a student walks taller, Lorenzo says, the whole school stands stronger.