TOP 50: A Work in Progress

"Top 50" got his nickname because he tested at the top of his class as a kid, but to keep it humble he added the “50”. Now a Hyde Park staple, the eccentric, intelligent Top 50 spends his time helping underprivileged youth on Chicago’s South Side, and interacting with students at the prestigious University of Chicago. Usually spotted sporting an afro or corn rolls (depending on the season), wearing his official Chicago Maroon basketball hoodie, and riding his pimped-out bike, also known as “The Monster,” Top spends his days as a youth mentor at Blackstone Bikes, a shop where kids from the South Side learn mechanics and stay off the streets. At night, Top is a watchman at the University of Chicago Lab Schools. In his daily life Top does something few members of the Hyde Park community can: he bridges and connects two polarized worlds that exist just across the Midway.