Lyne Baimey was born in West Africa, but came to Chicago with her family when she was 10 months old. She grew up in Bronzeville and attended Kenwood Academy, where she began her City Colleges career in the Dual Enrollment program.
“Dual Enrollment gave me an idea of what college would be like, so it made the transition smoother from high school,” she said.
When she started applying to colleges, her counselor suggested she stay at Kennedy-King to earn her associate degree. Knowing it would save her money, she applied and was accepted – then learned she qualified to be a Star Scholar, which provided free tuition and books while she earned her degree.
She felt as though the faculty, staff, and her fellow students provided a strong support system from the first day she set foot on campus, and especially appreciated the support she got from Kenyon Douglass, Director of the Transfer Center, saying “I was in her office from day one, because she helped to make sure I was on track to transfer.”
Appreciating the smaller classes, Lyne enjoyed the connections she was able to forge with faculty members. She also participated in Transfer Scholars to gain early admission to four-year colleges. And she’s giving back to the KKC community by being a Star Ambassador, introducing the Star Scholarship to CPS high schoolers, giving them tours of campus, and answering their questions about college life at KKC.
Lyne is now set to graduate with her Associate Degree in Applied Sciences in May 2019, and will be transferring to Resurrection University to study nursing in an accelerated bachelor’s degree program. She hopes to eventually work as a nurse anesthetist.