Category: Engineering and Computer Science
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Michael Sansone
After graduating from Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in 2009, Michael Sansone was eager to jump into the workforce. He worked his way up in the restaurant industry and even operated a food truck—but, according to Michael, his growth was starting to plateau. That’s when he decided it was time to head back to…
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Trevin Cox
35-year-old Trevin Cox and his partner were thinking about buying a restaurant and bar before the COVID-19 pandemic changed their plans. Instead, Trevin was laid off from his job in the service industry due to the virus—twice. After the second time in September 2020, he was motivated to go back to school, though he had…
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Bara Zalloum
When Bara Zalloum was surprised with a $5,000 scholarship at a computer science fair he was judging, he was “at a loss for words.” “I was not expecting it at all,” Bara said. “To hear my friends at the event rooting for me was heartwarming… it was surreal.” Like Bara, many of those friends are…
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Eduardo Perez
Eduardo Perez was determined to earn his bachelor’s degree after graduating from high school, but financial constraints prohibited him from heading directly to a four-year university. To save money, he enrolled at Wright College, where he identified a passion for computers and earned credits that would later transfer to Illinois Tech. Today, Eduardo has more…
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Gerald Davenport
Gerald Davenport has dreamed of becoming an engineer since he was in third grade. However, after graduating from Brother Rice High School and trying out a four-year college, he struggled along the academic path that would allow him to fulfill his dream. He wasn’t able to fully focus on his studies, and he made several…
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Pasquale Sanfelice
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Amir Noormohammad
As an engineering student with a fascination for math, Amir Noormohammad immediately started calculating the probability that he could win the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s prestigious Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship when he heard about the opportunity. While the odds seemed highly competitive just looking at the numbers, Amir came to Truman College looking for opportunities, so…
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Huan Phan
When he was 14 years old and living in Vietnam, Huan Phan, now a soon-to-be graduate of Wright College, started experimenting with the breaker box at his family’s home. While his family temporarily lost their electricity, Huan recalls feeling like “a kid in an electrical candy store” during the experience. The power came back on…
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Stefany Cardenas
If you ask Stefany Cardenas, a native Chicagoan of Ecuadorian descent, about her educational journey, she might tell you “the opportunity of my dreams landed on my lap.” But that shorthand version of her story doesn’t mention the incredible work that Stefany put in for nearly a decade to overcome homelessness and become a computer…
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Alexander Hernandez
In less than ten years, Alexander Hernandez went from not speaking English, to his dream job at Google. When Alexander Hernandez came to the U.S. from Guatemala in 2011, he knew he wanted to learn English first – so he started taking free English as a Second Language classes at Truman College. Once he had…