Category: Olive-Harvey College
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Jamurai Soldier
Olive-Harvey College student Jamurai Soldier is putting his classroom knowledge to work this summer as an operations intern for Carl Buddig Meat Company in Homewood, Illinois. In the role of junior analyst, Jamurai is earning $20 an hour as he spends his summer analyzing data, creating pivot tables and charts, and interviewing line supervisors, ultimately…
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Antoinette Hicks
Antoinette Hicks had been out of the classroom for 30 years before deciding to reignite her educational journey at Olive-Harvey College. She had previously attended two years of college at DePaul University but put her studies on hold to start a family. Antoinette’s decision to enroll at Olive-Harvey was strategic—she wanted to find a caring,…
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Stephanie Meeks
Stephanie Meeks came to Olive-Harvey College in September of 2020 after graduating from Carver Military Academy High School. Her high school advisor told her about the Star Scholarship, which encouraged Stephanie to start her college journey at City Colleges of Chicago, where she would be able to earn her associate degree at no cost. Learning…
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Vincent Smith
Vincent Smith is celebrating two big life moments this summer: receiving his high school diploma and earning his first college degree. The senior at Corliss STEM High School is the first student from his school to earn an associate degree from City Colleges of Chicago prior to high school graduation. Conveniently, Olive-Harvey College is only…
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Claretha Morrell
Claretha Morrell is an Olive-Harvey College alumna and a lifelong learner. At age 62, her desire to work in the fast-growing cannabis industry brought her back into the classroom. She’s now completing the Cannabis Dispensary Operations certificate program at her alma mater, Olive-Harvey, with the goal of working in or owning a medical cannabis dispensary…
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Alexis Cuadrado
I once heard the quote: “An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. When life is pulling you back with difficulties, it means it’s going to launch you into something great.” I connected to this idea so much as a teenager that I ended up getting an arrow tattoo. To this day, I…
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La’Quahn Washington
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, La’Quahn Washington saw it as a sign from the universe that it was time to change careers. She’d always been drawn to helping others, and La’Quahn began her career of service in the mental health field. She realized she could pursue her passion and help children at the same time…
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Dr. Maretha Roberts
Dr. Maretha Roberts worked in biological research on the East Coast for many years before discovering her passion for teaching. “I realized I don’t want to spend my life…isolated in a lab doing research,” she said. “So, I decided to try teaching and found that I enjoy it very much.” Today, she’s a biology professor…
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Flor Roman
Flor Roman always had an interest in child development. After running her own childcare business for many years, Flor decided to go back to school. When she couldn’t access financial aid, Flor didn’t give up on her dream of pursuing an education in early learning. Studying alongside the larger early childhood community was so important…
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Dr. Jacqueline Witherspoon
From leading swim lessons at age 16 to serving as an anatomy and physiology professor at Olive-Harvey College today, teaching has always come naturally to Dr. Jacqueline Witherspoon. Even despite having taught an estimated 1,500 City Colleges students throughout her career, she still makes an effort to get to know every student and is proud…