As After School Matters celebrates 35 years of supporting Chicago teens, this Mentoring Month, we want to recognize instructor Alva Nelms, who stands as a powerful example of what mentorship can make possible.
Alva has been creating art for more than 40 years — and for over a decade, she’s been sharing her talents with the next generation of Chicago creatives through her ASM Building Leather Bags and Sneakers program at Gately Park.
From designing furniture to creating custom costumes, Alva has spent her life making art with intention and purpose. Her philosophy is simple: “Whatever you do in life, give it your all. Do the best that you can.”
While attending Columbia College, Alva began making leather bags to earn extra income. What started as small projects for friends quickly grew into jackets, bags, and other handcrafted pieces — work that would eventually become central to her life’s creative journey.
Years later, after returning to Chicago, a friend introduced Alva to ASM and encouraged her to become an instructor. Since then, she has mentored teens and opened up their minds to new possibilities, teaching them how to sew, work with leather, and bring their ideas to life by creating their own bags and sneakers.
Alva’s impact reaches far beyond the classroom. Her mentorship has helped teens see themselves as artists, creators, and future professionals. When she asked one of her teens, Glenn (age 17), he was asked if he had met people at ASM who would support him on his journey, his response was simple and powerful: “Well, I met you.”
“If I didn’t attend this ASM program,” the teen shared, “I wouldn’t have learned how to work with leather, built my creativity, or realized I could turn this into a career.”
For 35 years, ASM has connected Chicago teens with instructor-mentors like Alva — professionals who share their skills, invest in young people, and open doors to possibility. These relationships help teens build confidence, discover their passions, and imagine futures they may not have seen for themselves.
Alva is one of hundreds of instructors who embody this legacy. As ASM looks ahead to the next 35 years, it’s mentors like her — and the teens they inspire — who continue to prove that when creativity is shared, its impact lasts a lifetime.